Successful initiatives presented at national diversity conference

Leigh Hellman | Posted on April 23, 2025
Two women stand in the bottom right of the photo with their arms around each other’s waists, smiling for the camera. One woman has glasses, curly hair, a red shirt, a gray cardigan and black pants. The other woman has shoulder-length hair, a blue shirt, a black unbuttoned overshirt and black pants. Both have white lanyards with name tag badges around their necks. They are standing in front of a large projector screen with a blue PowerPoint slide that reads: “Fostering Inclusive Dialogue in Higher Education” with their names, titles and the UIC logo listed below in white text.

Charu Thakral, PhD, interim vice chancellor for the UIC Office of Equity & Diversity (OED) and Jess Joslin, PhD, assistant vice chancellor for diversity initiatives in OED, facilitated a session at the 19th annual National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) conference held from March 5-8 in Chicago.

The interactive session, entitled “Fostering Inclusive Dialogue in Higher Education,” explored an effective dialogue education framework as a tool for fostering inclusivity. Dialogue education is defined as a face-to-face learning experience over a sustained period of time, in which participants from various social identity groups explore differences and find ways to work collaboratively toward a more equitable and inclusive society.

Session attendees learned about UIC’s successful Dialogue Initiative and its comprehensive programs for campus engagement, as well as its first-year dialogue seminar that enrolls over 420 students annually. Attendees also engaged in interactive activities to implement dialogue strategies on their own campuses.

“It was a pleasure to share some of the great work that our Dialogue Initiative has been doing with our NADOHE colleagues and connect with folks at other campuses who are similarly dedicated to promoting thoughtful and compassionate conversations on their campuses,” stated Thakral.