Stephanie Chang will listen and learn in her new role as the University of Maryland’s diversity and inclusion assistant vice president.
Chang filled the position this summer following a search process that started in 2019 and was put on pause in due to the pandemic and institutional hiring freeze, according to Georgina Dodge, the vice president of diversity and inclusion at this university.
Chang received a doctorate in higher education, student affairs and international education from this university in 2018. Years later, Chang said she came back to the university for its student culture and beautiful campus.
“I really love institutions that create opportunities for students, faculty and staff to voice their opinions and to help shape the culture of the environment and where it’s headed,” Chang said. “I see that here at the University of Maryland, which is also what really attracts me to this place.”
Chang supervises the Bias Incident Support Services, diversity training and education, LGBTQ+ Equity Center, Nyumburu Cultural Center and the Office of Multi-ethnic Student Education.
Chang said her main objective this year is to learn about the culture surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion at this university. Learning about the personal identities of its community members is a great way to start, she added.
“Culture is a big part of how I view and see my work and the campus environment,” Chang said. “What I’m really interested in are the experiences of individuals, groups and communities, based on their social identities.”
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Chang’s identity has played a role in why she works in diversity and inclusion today. She immigrated from Taiwan to the U.S. as a child and became the first in her family to attend college. She is also part of the LGBTQ+ community.
As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chang noticed that there were few…
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