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KUMC Office of DEI to become Impact & Belonging Team in merge with OCRTIX

​The University of Kansas Medical Center Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) has joined the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX (OCRTIX), a One University office.

This office is under the leadership of Lauren Jones McKown, associate vice chancellor for Civil Rights & Title IX, and Erin Duran, assistant vice chancellor for Impact & Belonging. Duran oversees the work of the Impact & Belonging – Lawrence & Edwards team and, in addition, will oversee the work of the Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center team. Barb Manning, program manager, and Andrea Brown, administrative assistant, from the KU Medical Center Office of DEI, will join the OCRTIX Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center team, continuing in their current positions.

  • Trainings, affinity groups, committees, subcommittees, programming and the cabinet currently provided through the KU Medical Center Office of DEI will continue under the responsibility of the OCRTIX Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center team.
  • We are recruiting more trainers for the Fostering Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging training. If you are interested or would like additional information, please reach out to Barb Manning.
  • The Office of DEI webpages will transition to having a One University presence. All content for Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center will soon be available on the OCRTIX website. The Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center team will continue to use the myKUMC intranet for announcements, internal programming and events.
  • The current Office of DEI social media presence will merge with Impact & Belonging – Lawrence & Edwards. You are encouraged to follow the Instagram account: @KU_Belonging.
  • The Spencer Reflection Center will also remain under the oversight of the OCRTIX Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center team and remain open for all.

KU Medical Center's Office of DEI served the Kansas City, Salina and Wichita campuses, and as we transition into Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center, these partnerships will continue. In the planning stages of this transition, OCRTIX leadership prioritized establishing connections with campus partners doing DEI work at the Wichita and Salina campuses. We look forward to sustaining these valuable collaborations as we move forward and continue to accomplish the shared goals of creating access, ensuring respect, promoting success and fostering a sense of belonging for Jayhawks across KU campuses.

We have begun the search for a new director, whose title will be Director of Impact & Belonging – KU Medical Center. There will be opportunities for constituents to participate in the in-person interviews; if you are interested in participating, contact Andrea Brown for more information.

You are encouraged to reach out to the signatories with any questions, partnership ideas and other opportunities. We are grateful for each Jayhawk and their contributions to our One University community. We look forward to continuing the work of educating leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that change the world together.

 

Sincerely,

Lauren Jones McKown, J.D.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Civil Rights & Title IX
 

Erin Duran, M.Ed., PHR
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Impact & Belonging
 

Barb Manning, B.A.
Program Manager
 

Andrea Brown
Administrative Assistant


 

KUMC Publish date: 1/10/2025

One University Publish date: 1/17/2025