On Purpose: Portrait of CLA's Staff of Color Community

We want to help advance the college’s goal of cultivating a welcoming and respectful climate in its diverse intellectual community. Through a grassroots effort, we initiated the CLA Staff of Color Community (CLA-SCC). In so doing, we strive to make CLA a destination college not only for students and faculty, but also for staff of color.

We’ve worked on this concept for some time and feel that this initiative aligns well with CLA’s Roadmap. Most importantly, this initiative is close to our hearts because as people of color ourselves, we understand the need to feel that we belong to a community that shares our experiences and perspectives in the workplace. 

With that vision, CLA-SCC was created to: 

• develop ways for CLA staff of color to promote and build trust, teamwork, and pride among themselves; 
• create an environment that provides a sense of belonging and community through shared cultural backgrounds and experiences; 
• provide support for navigating University systems, leading to advancement at the University. 

Needless to say, this initiative resonated within the college.

 CLA-SCC kicked off in December 2017 and is currently 96 members strong with staff from throughout the college.