̨Íåswag

Nominations are open through July 1 for the University of North Georgia's (̨Íåswag) 2018-19 Diversity Champion Awards.

One person or group from the faculty and another person or group from the staff will be honored with the awards during faculty and staff convocation in August.

Dr. Pablo Mendoza, ̨Íåswag director of diversity and inclusion, said faculty and staff members' co-curricular activities will qualify them to be an award candidate.

"The ̨Íåswag Diversity Champion Awards recognize staff and faculty who have made outstanding contributions toward advancing ̨Íåswag's diversity and inclusion efforts, resulting in greater diversity, inclusion and opportunities for all members of our community," Mendoza said.

Nominees must be faculty or staff members who have worked at ̨Íåswag for at least one year.

Mendoza said examples of potential nominees would be those who advocate for more inclusive hiring practices or who shine a light on generally overlooked elements within their curriculum. One example would be an intentional effort to include more African-American writers' work in an American literature course.

Mendoza said such efforts prepare students for their future jobs, whether those are at international corporations, regional or local businesses, or military and public service.

"̨Íåswag is trying to prepare students to be better long-term contributing members of the community and leaders in a global society," Mendoza said. "Emphasizing diversity and inclusion at ̨Íåswag will prepare students to be more cognizant of the needs of others."

Mendoza said this is especially vital in areas such as healthcare, where providers must adjust to serving patients from a wider swath of the world.

He hopes the nominations and awards help people on ̨Íåswag's five campuses see others' efforts and join together rather than doing the same work separately.

Mendoza started in his role at ̨Íåswag Feb. 11.

"We are preparing students to live in a more diverse and demographically changing environment than has existed in the recent past," Mendoza said. "Diversity and inclusion are added benefits for the cross-cultural competency of students, faculty and staff."