Welcoming Dr. Melanie Duckworth, our new Executive Director

An accomplished and respected faculty member for more than two decades, Dr. Duckworth begins her appointment as Executive Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion on June 1, 2024.

Read full announcement in Nevada Today
Melanie Duckworth smiling and standing amongst lush landscaping

From around the campus

Karla Hernandez stands in front of two PowerPoint screens that display the initial slide of her dissertation research presentation.

A brilliant light of leadership shines at the University of Nevada, Reno | Una brillante luz de liderazgo brilla en la Universidad

Karla Hernández, Ph.D., awarded the 2024 Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Leadership Award

Brian Sandoval sitting next to Melanie Duckworth in the podcasting studio holding up wolf pack hand signs.

Sagebrushers season 3 ep. 2: Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Melanie Duckworth

President Sandoval welcomes new leader who will guide university efforts to enable inclusive excellence for students, faculty and staff

Paromita Pain holding her book.

Understanding the impact of social media on LGBTQIA+ activism and protest

Professor Paromita Pain discusses her research on the complexities of cross-cultural LGBTQIA+ activism in the digital age

2024 Northern Nevada Diversity Summit

The 2024 theme is "Critical, Constructive, and Courageous Conversations" and will be highlighted by a keynote presentation by Dr. Myisha Cherry, Associate Professor of Philosphy at the University of California, Riverside. The event is free of charge to all students, faculty and staff of NSHE institutions and community partners are invited to attend.

Attend the summit

Strategic Action Plan

The 2021-2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Action Plan promotes inclusive excellence with a focus on four areas:

  • Increasing enrollment, retention and graduation of underrepresented students
  • The classroom and education in democracy
  • Faculty and staff recruitment, development and retention
  • Communication, symbols and safe places
Read the full Strategic Action Plan

NWCCU definitions

  • Diversity refers to the traits and characteristics that make people unique, including the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs or other ideologies.
  • Equity is concerned with justice and fairness of policies.
  • Equity-mindedness refers to the perspective or mode of thinking exhibited by practitioners who call attention to patterns of inequity in student outcomes. These practitioners are willing to take personal and institutional responsibility for the success of their students, and critically reassess their own practices. It also requires that practitioners are race-conscious and aware of the social and historical context of exclusionary practices in American Higher Education.
  • Inclusion refers to the behaviors and social norms that ensure people feel welcome, appreciated and valued as members of their communities.

NWCCU Equity

Our work

Initiatives
Our office is involved in a number of initiatives to promote diversity & inclusion on our campus, in our community and throughout the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Affinity groups
Our office supports the work of the several affinity groups in the campus community, promoting best practices and policy development.
Education and training
Our office develops workshops and trainings on diversity, equity and inclusion, including micro-aggression and implicit bias trainings, that are available to faculty, staff and students.

Supporting LGBTQ+

Our students, faculty and staff are what make the University of Nevada, Reno a special place. Learn more about our LGBTQ+ community, their achievements, ground breaking research, social movement efforts and more.

Nevada Pride
A group of people, including two Nevada cheerleaders and some wearing University of Nevada, shirts, stand inside of and next to giant letters "LOVE" that are painted with the LGBTQ+ rainbow of colors, red, yellow, purple, green and indigo.

Diversity and inclusion resources across the University

The Multicultural Center

The Multicultural Center provides programs and services that support the academic and social success for all students at the University of Nevada through advisement, leadership development, counseling, student organizations, outreach and intercultural programming. 

Counseling Services

The mission of Counseling Services is to provide psychological services to University of Nevada, Reno students to support and facilitate their personal and academic success and development. 

Disability Resource Center

The purpose of the Disability Resource Center (DRC) is to  ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from all university programs. You can learn more about the University's commitment to accessibility.

Equal Opportunity and Title IX

Legal protections against discrimination, harassment, ADA and Title IX compliance for all University members, as well as support to undocumented and DACA students, are processed through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX.

Student Center for Engagement

Working to engage, educate and empower undergraduate students to take action in the best interest of the student body and the University community.

Veteran Services

The Veteran Services Office is your liaison to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for veteran and veteran-related education benefits. 

More campus resources

Voices from our University community

  • A painted mural of a hand in a fist, with splotches of pink, orange, yellow and green on the hand and surrounding portion of the mural.
  • End Horace Gillom of the University of Nevada, Reno battles for a pass in a football game against St. Mary's University, at a packed Kezar Stadium.
  • A pencil sketch of a male member of the Paiute Tribe drawn on a easel

Black Lives Matter

Today, this University stands in solidarity with its Black student leaders who have brought forward several action items in the “Listen to Us” platform that will make us a better institution for Black students, faculty and staff.

University's commitment to action

Land acknowledgement

 

We acknowledge that the University of Nevada, Reno is situated on the traditional homelands of the Numu (Northern Paiute), Wašiw (Washoe), Newe (Western Shoshone), and Nuwu (Southern Paiute) peoples. These lands continue to be a gathering place for Indigenous Peoples and we recognize their deep connections to these places. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live and learn on their territory.