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DiversityCommissions@nau.eduDiversity commissions
On behalf of Northern Arizona University’s diversity commissions, we are honored to welcome you to our university community. Northern Arizona University has a long and vibrant commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ), as represented by the vision outlined in NAU 2025 – Elevating Excellence.
As part of NAU’s commitment to inclusive excellence, the university has established five diversity commissions that advise the Office of the President. These commissions represent the interests and voices of students, staff, and faculty across a spectrum of identities.
Each diversity commission is guided by two co-chairs, and the co-chairs participate in the Commission on Commissions (CoCom) to support, broaden, and enhance each commission’s impact on the university community through intersectional partnerships among the member commissions.
We invite you to engage with us in welcoming and collegial spaces around your interests, pedagogy, and research. Please feel free to reach out to any of the commission co-chairs at the commission links below to learn more about the commissions or to engage with them. We look forward to seeing you at one (or more) of our commission meetings in the future.
The goal of the Commission on Ethnic Diversity (CED) is to educate the campus community on ethnic issues, serve as a role model for the appreciation of diversity, and encourage ethnic diversity in the curriculum.
The commission meets monthly during the academic year on the first Monday of the month from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated on the commission website). All meetings are virtual. The current co-chairs for CED are Gretchen McAllister and Sharon S. Doctor. Contact information for the co-chairs can be found on the commission website.
The role of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is to help create a campus environment that is favorable and equitable for women. In promoting this goal, CSW advises and reviews all relevant university issues and policies that impact the status of women on campus.
The commission meets monthly during the academic year on the second Tuesday of the month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (unless otherwise indicated on the commission website). All meetings are virtual. The current co-chairs for CSW are Heather Rist and Samantha Clifford. Contact information for the co-chairs can be found on the commission website.
The purpose of the Commission for Indigenous Peoples (CIP) is to consider, evaluate and analyze all matters pertaining to Native Americans at Northern Arizona University, establish goals and priorities for these matters, engage Native American faculty/staff/students on these matters, disseminate and share the information, and most importantly, advise the president on these matters.
The commission meets monthly during the academic year on the second Thursday of the month from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated on the commission website). All meetings are virtual. The current co-chairs for CIP are Sheena Hale and Ora Marek-Martinez. Contact information for the co-chairs can be found on the commission website.
The vision of the Commission on Disability Access and Design (CDAD) is a university community free from physical and attitudinal barriers to services, programs and activities through universal design. CDAD is comprised of representatives from across the university who have an interest in the issues facing individuals with disabilities. Its mission is to collaborate with the university community to create a welcoming, supportive and inclusive campus environment.
Meets monthly (except for July) on the third Wednesday of the month from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated on the commission website). All meetings are virtual. The current co-chairs for CDAD are John Schaffer and Laura Copeland-Glenn. Contact information for the co-chairs can be found on the commission website.
The LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Allies) Commission is a voluntary organization of individuals from the university and select Flagstaff community members. We are bound by the common interest of promoting mutual respect, fairness, equity, improved campus climate and support for LGBTQIA diversity at the university.
Meets monthly during the academic year on the fourth Friday of the month from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (unless otherwise indicated on the commission website). All meetings are virtual. The current co-chair for the LGBTQIA commission are Megan McCoy and Castel Green. Contact information can be found on the commission website.
The purpose of the Commission on Commissions is to support, broaden and enhance the ability of each individual commission’s impact on the campus community through intersectional partnerships among the member commissions. The CoCom provides a bridge so that the independent work of each commission can be amplified, bringing additional voices and greater visibility to identified issues. The CoCom provides a forum to discuss the ongoing work, objectives and goals of each commission in order to foster those activities and capitalize on intersectional ties when appropriate.
The Commission on Commissions meets monthly during the academic year on the second Friday of the month from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. (unless otherwise indicated). Meetings are for members of CoCom only. Membership is made up of Co-Chairs from the NAU diversity commissions: CED, CSW, CIP, CDAD, and the LGBTQIA. The current chair of CoCom is Kiara Nikas. Contact information for the chair can be found on the CoCom website.