The Dr. Marva Rudolph Diversity and Interculturalism Unit Excellence Award is given to an office, program, department, or college that has demonstrated outstanding leadership and made consistent contributions to advancing diversity and inclusion at UT. The award is named in memory of Marva Rudolph, an associate vice chancellor and director of the Office of Equity and Diversity who passed away in 2014 after more than 20 years with the university and more than 30 years of dedicated work in diversity and inclusion.
Office of Multicultural Student Life
Thanks to the Office of Multicultural Student Life, the campus dialogue about diversity and inclusion is going beyond buzzwords to foster rich conversations and lessons about cultural identity. The office’s Diversity Educators, a group of 24 students who lead programs for classes and student organizations, has revamped the Diversity Dialogue series and symposium to be more relevant and engaging. One recent dialogue involved viewing music videos that spoke to diversity, social justice, and specific movements like Black Lives Matter. Another focused on men of color and mental health. The Diversity Dialogue Symposium, held last fall, addressed timely topics ranging from racism in the LGBTQ+ community to the racialization of immigration to national protests for freedom of speech and social justice. As one staff member said, the Office of Multicultural Student Life “has made great strides to continue to improve upon and update their diversity and inclusion efforts for all students.”