Committee on Ethnicity and Race Equity

CHHS student at 2021 commencement

The College of Health and Human Services is committed to bringing  equity and inclusion into our academic teaching and research, as well as our community of students, faculty and staff who are passionate about the health and human services fields. We embrace our mission to improve lives in everything we do. 

In 2019, the College established the Committee on Ethnicity and Race Equity (CERE) as a standing committee, to create a mechanism that brings us together as a community to improve how we address racial inequities and meet the challenges of creating an equitable environment for our students, faculty and staff. Through this effort, we recognize and accept the responsibility for our own self-reflection, as individuals and as a College. 

Follow the CHHS News Blog for DEI-related events and updates

We will engage the College of Health and Human Services’ faculty, staff, and students in the effort to provide an equitable and safe environment for personal, academic, and professional growth regardless of one’s ethnic or racial identification. As a predominantly White institution, we acknowledge the College’s responsibility to actively address overt and systemic racism. With a focused effort we hope to better prepare our faculty, staff, and students to serve in diverse communities within UNH, NH, and beyond. Furthermore, our collective duty is to tangibly address the culture of the College with respect to the experience of marginalized students and to appropriately respond to incidents of racism, bias, and micro-aggressions. We aim to achieve these objectives by utilizing new and existing resources within the University through critical examination and changes to:

  • Training and education opportunities for CHHS staff, faculty, and students around issues of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
  • Procedures, practices, policies, and the culture within the college (e.g. hiring practices, creation of bias incident policies, etc.)
  • Curricular changes to fill the gaps within all CHHS departments to ensure that all students graduate from UNH with a solid foundation in DEI practice.   

Chayanna Acevedo, Academic Counselor, CHHS Dean's Office

Holly Alperin, Clinical Assistant Professor, Kinesiology

Semra Aytur, Associate Professor, Health Management & Policy

Jessie Bennett, Assistant Professor, Recreation Management & Policy

Paul Bonzani, Clinical Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Kelsey Boucher (Equity & Diversity Fellow), Clinical Assistant Professor, Social Work

Brooks Carter, Associate Professor, Social Work

Laura Davie (Co-Chair), Director of Long Term Care and Aging, Institute for Health Policy & Practice

Elizabeth Grosso, Project Coordinator, Institute on Disability

Tyler Jamison, Assistant Professor, Human Development & Family Studies

Will Lusenhop (Co-Chair), Clinical Assistant Professor, Social Work

Kate Phelps '22, Student Rep, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Dayle Sharp, Clinical Assistant Professor, Nursing

Jill Thorson (Co-Chair), Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences & Disorders

Quianna Willard '22, Student Rep, Occupational Therapy

Led by CERE, the College of Health and Human Services is launching the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Assessment in the Fall of 2021.  All CHHS students, faculty and staff are encouraged to participate in the anonymous Assessment. Results will enable the College to develop a baseline assessment of DEI-related efforts, which will be used to focus our attention and assess our progress in the coming years.

The College is using the New England Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE) DEI self-assessment tool, that addresses the dimensions specific to university settings for faculty, staff and students. Click here for more information about the NERCHE rubric.

Wildcats UNITE Against Racism is a visual campaign to promote anti-racism efforts at CHHS and on the UNH campus. 

Understand your biases
Normalize talking about race and speaking up
Include everyone in all aspects of learning
Thank those who seek to help you on your journey
Everyone at UNH plays a part

Join us! Sign the Wildcats UNITE Against Racism pledge

Follow us on Instagram

UNH Diversity Statement

The University of New Hampshire is committed to building and nurturing an environment of inclusive excellence where all students, faculty and staff can thrive. We also are committed to providing open and inclusive access for all alumni, volunteers, learners, employees and visitors seeking to participate in our programs and activities. We venture to sustain a campus environment that fosters mutual respect and understanding. We believe diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion are foundational values inextricably linked to achieving our core educational mission and embrace the many characteristics of our community members that make them uniquely themselves. Here, you belong and all are welcome.

UNH Land, Water and Life Acknowledgement

As we all journey on the trail of life, we wish to acknowledge the spiritual and physical connection the Pennacook, Abenaki and Wabanaki Peoples have maintained to N’dakinna (homeland) and the aki (land), nebi (water), olakwika (flora) and awaasak (fauna) that the University of New Hampshire community is honored to steward today. We also acknowledge the hardships they continue to endure after the loss of unceded homelands and champion the university’s responsibility to foster relationships and opportunities that strengthen the well-being of the Indigenous People who carry forward the traditions of their ancestors.