UHart's Commitment to DEIJB

An Inclusive Community

At the University of Hartford, community is not just a word, it’s a commitment. We are dedicated to building a culture that respects all of its members and celebrates their contributions as we work together to strengthen our diverse campus.

Our Values Statement underscores our commitment to diversity and inclusion. The statement is designed to be both descriptive and aspirational. It is who we are and who we aspire to be. The University of Hartford continues to work on creating a welcoming, safe, and supportive community for all students, staff, and faculty. We need to talk to each other and listen to each other. We need to recognize, acknowledge, and then work to eradicate inequity and injustice.

A true commitment to DEIJB begins with action. The University is proud of the following new and continuing action items that promote and embrace this commitment:

• Christine Grant, assistant vice president for diversity and community engagement, was appointed to the President’s Cabinet.
• The President’s Steering Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was established in August 2019.
• The Office of Student Engagement and Inclusion was formed with the goal of coalescing the student experience and bringing together University offices.
• The Office of Admission will continue to recruit, admit, and enroll students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
• Student Financial Assistance and the Office of Institutional Advancement will expand efforts to identify and allocate scholarship and support opportunities for historically underrepresented groups.
• We continue to improve our recruitment, search, and hiring processes in order to increase the diversity to our faculty and staff.
• An inventory of our course and program offerings is underway in full recognition of the key role a diverse curriculum has in preparing University of Hartford students and graduates.
• The Department of Public Safety has been reorganized and restructured to better reflect the needs of the community and to help ensure they are safe and feel welcomed.
• The University will continue to offer a wide array of trainings, workshops, and lectures for students, staff, and faculty.
• We are committed to engaging the campus community through regular, ongoing, and meaningful opportunities for listening sessions on issues pertaining to the campus climate and culture.

We have much to do but we have a solid foundation on which to build and we will continue to take action. We are dedicated to advancing the work of building a campus culture and community that is more inclusive and culturally responsive.

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement

Christine Grant

Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement

As Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement, Christine reports to the President of the University. In this role, she works collaboratively with institutional leadership, departments and unit heads, along with other stakeholders to proactively embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice strategic goals, programming, and initiatives in all areas of the University, while fostering and affirming a campus culture of equity and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff.

She serves as Co-Chair for the President’s Steering Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Co-Chair of the President’s Community Advisory Council.

Christine Grant has been with the University for over 26 years. A member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), Grant holds a M.A. in Organizational Development from the University of Hartford, and a B.S. from the University of Bridgeport.

Jane Horvath

Special Assistant to the President for LGBTQ+ Issues

Jane Horvath is associate professor of economics and directs the economics and political economy programs for the College of Arts & Sciences. In that capacity she oversees the curriculum for the BA in economics and in political economy, serves as academic advisor to majors and minors in the two programs, and oversees the programs in collaboration with her colleagues in the Department of Politics and Government in the College of Arts & Sciences and with the economists in the Department of Economics, Finance, and Insurance in the Barney School of Business.

Horvath joined the faculty of the University of Hartford in 1985. She earned the Ph.D. in economics from the University of Connecticut in 1986, with a specialization in economic development. Her research interests include economic development, teaching economics and pedagogy, and complexity economics.

In addition to teaching the Principles of Economics sequence, she teaches Economic Development and Gender, Complexity Economics, Hunger: Problems of Scarcity and Choice, and Sources of Power.

President's Steering Committee

The President’s Steering Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, comprised of faculty, staff, and students, is charged with responsibility for leading, advocating, and assisting in the coordination of university-wide efforts to realize diversity initiatives and foster inclusive excellence. Specific responsibilities include supporting efforts to recruit and retain diverse populations of students, faculty, and staff; monitoring and supporting expansion of diversity of content in all academic programs; and developing plans for ongoing assessment of efforts pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the University. Members of this committee the committee will examine all current and new University policies to ensure they equitably affect students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds.

Our Initiatives

The University of Hartford strongly condemns all forms of discrimination, bias, racism, bigotry, and hate.