Brought to you by The Division of Equity and Inclusion, Office of the Provost, UO Human Resources, and the Division of Student Life presents Amplifying Action 2025

 

Schedule of Events

Employee Engagement Workshop for University Leadership* 10am-12pm 

EMU Redwood Auditorium

Description: In alignment with UO’s strategic goal to create a flourishing community, Deans, Vice Presidents, and their leadership teams* are invited to learn about plans for supporting units in their efforts to continue to enhance employee engagement and for the 2026 employee engagement survey, which will once again be administered by Gallup and will be primarily focused on the Gallup Q12. 
 
The session will feature Dr. Tim Hodges, Senior Consultant at Gallup, who will share information about the science behind Gallup’s Q12, the connection between employee engagement and institutional performance, data-driven evidence on the impact of engagement, and practical strategies for leaders to drive engagement. There will be opportunities to ask questions and for discussion with your colleagues.

Each school/college/division is encouraged to invite up to 8 people to this workshop; if more space is needed, please reach out to learning@uoregon.edu. Attendees should include Deans, Vice Presidents, their core leadership team, and/or other team members involved in employee engagement related work within your area, as you deem appropriate. (This could include diversity council chairs, HR leaders, or team members who have led the administration of unit level surveys in the past, for example).  Click here to RSVP. 

Please note: This workshop will immediately precede Amplifying Action: A Summit on Employee Engagement and Flourishing. Attendees of the morning leadership workshop are encouraged to attend the plenary lunch and afternoon sessions. More information about the Summit will be forthcoming from DEI.  

Summit Plenary Lunch 12pm-1:20pm 

EMU Ballroom

Concurrent Sessions 1:30 – 2:45 p.m.

Empowerment, Engagement, and Change: Fostering Inclusion and Eliminating Disparities

Lease Crutcher Lewis 

Presenters: Rich Margerum, Krista Chronister, Daniel Rosenburg, Ernesto Martinez

Departments: College of Design, Department of History, Division of Graduate Studies, Department of Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies (IRES) 

Description: In response to concerns about inclusion and disparities, four units have undertaken efforts to change curriculum, address student experiences, respond to service challenges, and improve GE onboarding. Presenters of each of these efforts will give short presentations describing their initial steps to make cultural and policy changes. The session will then break into smaller table groups to discuss two broader questions:

How do you translate new information and frameworks to implement change?

What are the barriers you are facing? 

Reimaging Spaces for Well-Being through Physical and Virtual Realities

Lease Crutcher Lewis

Presenters: Sarah Kutten, Danny Pimentel, and Fatma Ali 

Departments: UO Portland Office of Student Life & Belonging; School of Journalism and Communication, Immersive Media Department

Description: Building a thriving community begins with prioritizing holistic wellness, allowing students and staff to flourish. In this interactive session, UO Portland will highlight projects designed to enhance well-being, including The Duck Nest, a dedicated wellness hub, and Seed to Sky, an augmented reality (AR) mural that explores the vibrant connections within Northeast Portland communities. Step into the experience—grab a VR headset or use your phone—and discover firsthand how emerging technologies are transforming both physical and digital spaces, big and small, to promote flourishing and well-being. 

Concurrent Sessions 2 3:00 – 4:15 p.m. 

Managing Faculty Service Equity in UO Academic Units

Crater Lake North

Presenters: Ben Clark, Patricia Lambert, and Sophia Sienkiewicz 

Departments: School of Planning, Public Policy and Management, College of Design 

Description: This interactive workshop will present the toolkit, system, policies, and procedures developed by the School of Planning, Public Policy and Management to address ongoing disparities and dissatisfaction regarding faculty service workloads. Participants will gain tools to thoughtfully develop their academic unit committee structure and specific service assignments that will effectively, efficiently, and equitably meet the unit’s goals for each academic year. Through presentations, discussions, and role-play, participants will develop strategies and approaches to do the following: 

• Create an annual Faculty Service Handbook that outlines service assignments, committee structure, service roles and concrete deliverables for one academic year;
• Develop a data collection tool for annual assessment of faculty service, including invisible service; and
• Craft a new academic unit faculty service policy that reflects equity principles and addresses workload disparities. 

Growing a Positive Climate by Embracing New Perspectives & Discomfort 

Crater Lake South

Presenters: Robyn Anderson, Taylor McHolm, Amanda Rosenberg, Stacey York 

Departments: Museum of Natural and Cultural History, Erb Memorial Union, Division of Student Life, Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact 

Description: As part of the IDEAL Climate Matching Grant and in an effort to build flourishing communities, our collective units embarked on initiatives to expand our stakeholders’ abilities to engage in challenging conversations, topics and situations through skill building. Through mini-interactive workshops, attendees will have the opportunity to explore, engage and ideate on how tools in these initiatives may be adapted or brought to their workplace situations. Topics to be discussed include: Crucial Conversations; Distinguishing between Uncomfortable and Unsafe Situations; and Decolonization. 

IDEAL Innovations: Building Flourishing Communities for Faculty, Staff, and First-Generation Students with Academic Residential Communities 

Lease Crutcher Lewis 

Presenters: Kevin Hatfield, Jessica Winders, Makaal Williams, Silvina Sousa-Ransford, Victoria Robinsons (Contributor) 

Departments: University Housing & the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success 

Description: This session is designed to engage and develop faculty, administrators, and interested staff who want to learn about the innovative work happening at the nexus of University Housing & Undergraduate Education and Student Success. We will focus on providing tangible examples of how Academic Residential Communities (ARCs) and Residential Communities (RCs) are designed and implemented, including the variety of staffing methods used to support both curricular and co-curricular program elements. Leveraging the IDEAL Campus Climate Matching Grant, we have enhanced Faculty Recognition in the ARC program and developed a new symposium for sharing best practices within ARCs and RCs. This training will offer a high-level overview of those best practices that participants can take back to develop their own ARC or RC programs. Aligned with the UO Rising Flourishing goal, this session will highlight universally applicable practices that support First-Generation college students both in and out of the classroom. We will also discuss methods for compensating and recognizing faculty dedicated to making positive contributions to first-year students’ experiences. For those who already work with ARCs and RCs, you will learn ways to improve the experience of faculty and staff in the program and how to better serve First-Generation college students.  

The Power of Intentionality: The Art, Heart and Science of Faculty and Staff Retention

Swindells 

Presenter: Yvette Alex-Assensoh

Department: Division of Equity and Inclusion 

Descrption: In higher education, people are out most important resource, but there are internal and external conditions that create a revolving door for talented employees. In this workshop, we will discuss the push and pull factors associated with retention and provide tools and resources for retaining our valuable faculty and staff colleagues. 

ArtMusicPerformance (AMP): A Mobile Performance/Exhibition Space 

Erb Memorial Union 

Presenter: Stephen Rodgers

Department: School of Music and Dance 

Description: Workshop will focus on AMP, a mobile performance/exhibition space, that was designed and built by a tiny-home company in Eugene, outfitted by an art collective called Harmonic Laboratory, and managed by the School of Music and Dance and the School of Art + Design.  AMP is a 16' x 8.5' “custom exhibition tiny home, which can be opened on the side to reveal a small performance/exhibition area. The tiny home sits atop a trailer, allowing it to be transported around campus. The space will be outfitted with sound equipment, so that it can be used for small-scale performances of music, dance, theater, and poetry, as well as the display of artworks. It will be accessible to faculty, staff, and GEs who are engaged in the arts in some way, and it will feature performances and exhibitions that are accessible to all faculty, staff, and GEs. One of the “Inclusion Strategies and Initiatives” described in the university’s IDEAL framework is to “create new physical spaces for cultural and educational activities that promote inclusion.” Our project will create just such a space—a fully operational and easily transportable venue that will help to bring together campus employees around the creation and experience of art. 

Closing Reception 4:15 – 5:00p.m.  

Erb Memorial Union