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honoring human dignity

The Office of Social Impact and Justice offers collaborative programming designed to facilitate meaningful relationships between students, faculty, staff, alumni and beyond. We are committed to strengthening our community by creating spaces for courageous conversation, deep listening and thoughtful introspection as we increase our awareness of, and advocacy for, pathways to human thriving. Aligned with our college mission of improving human lives, this office seeks to bolden our commitment to honoring the dignity of all people and the value of all life. 

our approach and initiatives 

We take a data-driven and human-centered approach to support belonging within the Human Ecology community and improve campus climate. Our initiatives are open to all.

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The Social Impact Series is a year-long cohort experience comprised of faculty, staff and students from all disciplines, who learn and grow together in a dynamic environment. 

The cohort meets once a month to have a facilitated conversation with invited scholars and experts who help us explore complex human thriving and social justice topics, hear from multiple perspectives, and help us gain a deeper understanding of societal issues in our ever-changing world. The sessions will allow cohort members to draw connections to their own work and incubate ideas to empower and transform their own spaces. 

Ultimately, the goal is to foster meaningful discourse and interdisciplinary collaboration, and support the creation of an empathetic community that honors our shared humanity.

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Every other year the college honors the legacy of Flemmie Pansy Kittrell’s distinguished career and scholarship by inviting a well-respected leader, visionary artist, scholar, scientist or innovator to share their expertise and how their work impacts the human experience and well-being. 

The Dr. Flemmie Kittrell Visiting Scholar visits campus for a few days to interact with members of the Human Ecology community through a public lecture, classroom visit, and college-level workshop or charette. The public lecture serves as a springboard to a collaborative workshop for faculty, staff and students to foster meaningful interactions within our academic community. 

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our agreements

The Living Agreements Campaign provides Human Ecology with the opportunity to collectively create and affirm community agreements that uphold our shared values. These agreements articulate the standards by which we seek to engage with one another in both public and private spaces. By adhering to our agreements, we can be more mindful of how we communicate, establish a baseline of understanding, and bravely venture into robust dialogue with care. All are welcome to create an agreement by answering the following prompt:

“We may disagree, but we agree to…”

We may disagree, but we agree to practice active listening.