Vision, Mission, and Goals

The Cultural Center envisions an inclusive and accepting campus climate free of bias and hate where students, faculty, staff, and alumni work together to create positive change in the community.

One of the five critical areas of the University of Louisville’s 2020 Plan is Diversity, Opportunity, and Social Justice. U of L is committed to creating a challenging intellectual climate enhanced by our many human differences, and this serves as the foundational objective of the programs and services provided by the Cultural Center.

More specifically, the Cultural Center creates educational opportunities for members of the university community to critically think about their beliefs, values and assumptions as it relates to culture. To fulfill our mission, we support and offer co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that acknowledge and reflect the experiences of under-represented populations. We also provide educational opportunities for all members of the campus community to examine their individual and group experiences within a culturally diverse society.

The underlying goals of these two endeavors are to provide advocacy for our students, celebrate the diverse cultures of the campus community, engage students in social justice issues, and support the scholarship and retention of U of L students.

Faculty Liaison Role

Faculty Liaisons are members of the faculty whose research and/or teaching relate to the mission and goals of the Cultural Center. Faculty Liaisons serve as part of the larger Friends of the Cultural Center group consisting of staff and administrators from across campus. Faculty Liaisons advise the Cultural Center staff on emerging trends that affect under-served student populations, provide a connection to other faculty within their unit and college, and serve as a source of input and support on Center programs and initiatives.

As a Faculty Liaison you will have access to funds set aside specifically to support faculty research. Research should connect to the Cultural Center’s mission and goals and relate to under-served/underrepresented populations. Faculty Liaisons are invited to lead one of our monthly Faculty Colloquia conducted from 12:00pm – 1:00pm the second Wednesday of each month during the academic year. The dates of the colloquia are listed below. We also hope that you will assist us in identifying others who conduct relevant research in your department and college who may be interested in leading one of these sessions.

Finally, Faculty Friends will have access to the Center staff, programs, and students as collaborators and research subjects.

 Faculty Colloquia

These monthly discussions center on issues of diversity pertinent to faculty and academic administrators. Discussions should focus or relate to current issues of under-served/underrepresented populations on campus, and are designed to provide dialogue and resources for participants that improve the success of our campus community. The workshops can include teaching strategies, emerging trends in research, stimulating dialogue, and discussions on assessing diversity perceptions within the classroom and throughout campus. A recurring theme for the colloquia series focuses on improving college student experiences, achievement, and degree completion for all student groups. The overall goals of the colloquia are to provide a forum for the university community on diversity, with emphasis on dialogue that will enhance institutional collaboration, and identify student diversity challenges and ways to mitigate those challenges.

2010-2011 Dates
September 8, 2010     October 13, 2010

November 10, 2010     February 9, 2011

March 9, 2011              April 13, 2011