Binghamton’s UDiversity delivers transformative programming to the campus community
Operating within the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, UDiversity provides educational programming around policy compliance, equity, and cultural and emotional intelligence.
UDiversity isn’t just a hashtag; it is Binghamton University’s hub for transformative education around equity, policy compliance, cultural and emotional intelligence, and inclusion.
Established in 2014 as part of the University’s strategic plan, Roadmap to Premier, UDiversity provides cultural competency and inclusive practices workshops to support one of the plan’s strategic priorities: creating an inclusive campus.
UDiversity was established within the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, under the campus’s then-chief diversity officer, Val Hampton. Shortly after its launch, Lea Webb, current New York State Senator for the 52nd District, joined the initiative to help develop diversity education curricula. Following Hampton’s retirement, campus administration promoted the office to divisional status and in 2020, Karen Jones was appointed vice president. Over the next few years, additional diversity education coordinators helped develop a series of workshops focused on cultural competencies. However, when Webb left to campaign for the senate seat in 2022, UDiversity briefly paused its activities.
As part of UDiversity’s restructuring, Jones established the position of executive director of diversity education and bias response to oversee both UDiversity and the Office of Equity and Access and appointed Ada Robinson-Perez, PhD ’19, the campus’s affirmative action officer, in January 2024. Robinson-Perez continues to supervise the bias incident response process and investigations on discrimination complaints.
“The decision to appoint Ada was in line with her previous role as a faculty member, her published articles and her general research interest,” said Jones. “It made sense to have her assist with the body of content from a pedagogical lens, and to better understand and identify the needs and interests of faculty, especially for the inclusive pedagogy series.”
Currently, UDiversity includes Robinson-Perez; Jen Smith, interim assistant director of diversity education and restorative practice; and Richard Quiles ’22, MS ’25, coordinator for diversity education. Smith joined in 2023 to add restorative practices to the cultural competency and inclusive practices workshops that formed the foundation of UDiversity offerings.
“We decided to introduce restorative practices as a concept for giving the campus community a different way of looking at how to manage conflict, particularly relative to understanding differences in background and identity,” Robinson-Perez said. “It’s about restoring relationships, which we thought was especially critical for our campus after events in fall 2023.”
Infusing restorative work into its schedule of workshops is part of UDiversity’s shift in focus from a “competency” to an “intelligence” lens, as well as a more holistic approach to fostering civil dialogue and understanding and navigating interpersonal challenges and conflict resolution.
“This year, we’re introducing new workshops such as ‘Emotional Intelligence and Building Better Interactions,’” Smith said. “These programs are aimed at strengthening communication and interpersonal skills across all areas of campus life. We’re also expanding the use of respect agreement and community-building circles — tools that help groups establish shared values and build trust.”
Quiles, a recent graduate of the Master of Human Rights program at the College of Community and Public Affairs, joined UDiversity in early 2025 to assist with workshop development and facilitation. Over time, he has created unique cross-campus collaborations, including the Celebrate Diversity pop-up exhibition held with the Binghamton University Art Museum last April and his “Walk and Talk” interview series, completed during the summer 2025 term. In this series, he met with more than 30 campus partners from various University divisions and conducted short, engaging video interviews.
“I know how intimidating it can be for students to knock on the door of a director, assistant vice president or vice president they’ve never met and ask for help,” Quiles said. “This series was designed to bridge that gap by introducing students to campus leaders in a fun, approachable and lighthearted way.”
Quiles has also been collaborating with Q Center Coordinator Aiden Braun on revamping the center’s staple “Active Allies” workshop. The newly renamed “Active Advocacy” workshop is not just for members of the LGBTQ+ community, though; it’s meant to provide the knowledge and tools to be more aware, supportive and engaged with all community members.
“You don’t need to identify as LGBTQ+ to be an advocate,” explains Quiles. “The workshop emphasizes that advocacy is for everyone.”
According to Robinson-Perez, UDiversity workshops run along one of two tracks. The first track broadly includes cultural or emotional intelligence — relationship-building, restorative, and connection-cultivating workshops. The second track provides compliance and policy-related workshops, which offer practical responses to bias incidents or discrimination complaints and address ADA or disability accommodations requests.
UDiversity engages various communities on campus, including students, faculty and staff. Many of the workshops are designed to support students’ personal growth, self-awareness and development as global scholars by fostering an understanding of the value of culture and identity. These workshops also aim to highlight and address unconscious and conscious biases and microaggressions.
“Rather than demonizing bias, we want to shine a light on it, increase awareness and help people be more cognizant of it,” said Robinson-Perez.
The inclusive pedagogy series is for new and seasoned faculty, teaching assistants and even students interested in a future career in education. It provides practical strategies for developing an inclusive syllabus, socially engaging a diverse student body and recognizing bias when it arises in a classroom environment, as well as how to address and mitigate it.
While some workshops may be directed at a specific audience, most are open to the broader campus community.
Currently, the UDiversity team is developing a plan for a micro-credential program. This initiative aims to create a three-credit-equivalent course that encompasses the range of UDiversity’s offerings. Potentially launching in 2026, Robinson-Perez reports that there is still much to do regarding the application process, benchmarking and ensuring compliance with all necessary qualifications to be fully operational, including bringing in additional faculty or departmental expertise.
“We envision a program that complements a range of degrees, from social work to STEM,” she said. “The program would support individuals in developing strong communication skills and learning to engage with people where they are. The goal is to enhance emotional intelligence and promote cultural awareness, enabling participants to become effective global leaders in any setting.”