The Office of the Chief Diversity Officer will host three Comprehensive Strategic Diversity Plan Listening Charrettes — one session each for staff, faculty and students. The listening charrettes create an opportunity for the campus community to be heard and to provide meaningful dialogue concerning this plan, which is a fluid, living document.

App State’s Chief Diversity Officer's (CDO) Advisory Board has worked steadfastly on the Comprehensive Strategic Diversity Plan since 2018. The Spring 2021 Listening Charrettes are a significant part of the vetting and rollout of the plan to our campus.

Five broad goals are outlined in the plan, with several sub-goals. The listening charrettes will give campus community members a platform to discuss their concerns, communicate support and make suggestions regarding those goals.

What is a listening charrette?

Typically, charrettes are used to gather opinions and ideas from a diverse array of stakeholders when it comes to building designs. For these virtual events, the CDO Advisory Board has paired the structure of charrettes with a traditional town hall-style meeting to create an atmosphere that fosters collaborative and robust conversation around the goals of the Comprehensive Strategic Diversity Plan.

How will the information be used?

The information gathered during the listening charrettes will be used to help direct any proposed revisions to the plan. Feedback from the campus community will also help to build a broad narrative for and understanding of what is needed and wanted concerning diversity and inclusion at App State.

The CDO Advisory Board is committed to reporting back to the campus with summaries of this event and additional information by April 2021.

Important notes about the listening charrettes

To respect your confidentiality, these sessions will not be recorded.

Please make sure you have the latest version of Zoom on your device, as we will use self-selected breakout rooms.

Updating to the latest version of Zoom

To update your client to obtain the breakout room features needed for this meeting, open your Zoom app, click on your photo or initials at the top right, and select, “Check for updates” — then download and install.

If you're running the app on your phone, iPad or other mobile device, don't forget to update that too.

About Diversity and Inclusion at Appalachian

Appalachian State University is committed to developing and allocating resources to the fundamental task of creating a diverse campus culture. We value diversity as the expression of human similarities and differences, as well as the importance of a living and learning environment conducive to knowledge, respect, acceptance, understanding and global awareness. Learn more at http://diversity.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.