Message from President Pinto: Supporting our community amid change

I write today to reaffirm our commitment to fostering a campus community where everyone feels truly welcome, genuinely respected and deeply valued. Our pledge remains steadfast: to build a culture that lifts people up and brings them together for meaningful connections, transformational educational experiences and lifelong impact.

In support of these commitments and in response to recently enacted state legislation, we are making new investments to meet the needs of our students. Specifically, Student Affairs is building out new programming, hiring additional staff, and opening new spaces to strengthen connection and engagement for all Bearcats.

These changes are part of UC’s strategic and necessary response to the requirements within the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act that Governor Mike DeWine signed into law on March 28. To comply with the new state law, our Board of Trustees finalized required policy changes this morning that will close DEI-focused areas of UC effective June 25.

Among the changes:

• UC’s central Equity & Inclusion office will close. Dr. Bleuzette Marshall will lead a new unit focused on ethics, compliance and community impact. In addition, the Office of the University Ombuds will report to her. I want to thank Vice President Marshall and her team for their many years dedicated to building belonging at UC. I have full confidence that she will provide equally impactful leadership in her new role.
• All four of UC’s identity centers will close, and spaces will be repurposed to support the success of all students. I’m pleased to share that all identity center employees have been given an opportunity to transition into new roles within Student Affairs.
• The Center for Student Involvement will relocate to the space currently occupied by Ethnic Programs & Services, the LGBTQ Center and the Women’s Center. As a hub for student activities, this expanded space will allow students to connect to our vibrant campus community in new and meaningful ways that support their personal growth, experiential learning and community building. Additionally, this space will provide a collaborative environment for student organization leaders.
• The African American Cultural & Resource Center building will be renamed “The Cultural Center” and will function as a general connection space with new programming for all students and student organizations.

I want to thank our trustees and the many members of our community who have engaged so thoughtfully on these deeply personal, important and challenging topics. I can assure you that the organizational changes and investments we are making are shaped by the voices and insights gathered over months of meaningful dialogue with our university’s most impacted communities. Our conversations have included representatives from Student Government, Graduate Student Government, Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, student leaders from all four identity centers, along with alumni and community leaders. In addition, our colleges and units have hosted dozens of valuable and informative discussions and open forums in recent months.

I also want to acknowledge our Student Affairs team, led by Vice Provost Nicole Mayo, who organized and hosted many listening sessions to hear our students’ ideas. These engagements helped us make informed decisions and prioritize new investments in such areas as student leadership development, advocacy for student success, and new community connection spaces. I hope you will take the time to learn more about all of these changes on the Student Affairs website, including their plans to preserve the history of our identity centers and details about when their staff will be available to answer questions.

I recognize that unwinding deeply rooted efforts around inclusion will undoubtedly challenge core feelings of belonging for many in our community. My message to you is unequivocal: You belong here. I encourage you to use the new facilities and programs to remain connected and find the support you need.

Throughout this process, our goal has been to collaborate on solutions that allow us to remain true to our mission as a public university. We must uphold our enduring commitment to access and success through educational programs that respond to the needs of our society. Ultimately, we will strive to ensure that every student, faculty and staff member finds their place here and has the support they need to be successful.

Sincerely,

Neville G. Pinto