Celebrating Our Diversity
The mission of the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) is to develop opportunities that promote inclusive excellence. Take advantage of the many ways to get involved.
We empower, advocate for, and support populations that have been traditionally underrepresented, including, but not limited to:
- Students of color
- First-generation college students
- Differently abled students
- Students who identify as LGBTQIA+
The Office of Equity and Inclusion provides training, facilitation and education on topics that challenge individuals to think critically about their worldview. We collaborate with student organizations, faculty, staff and administration to bring programs and services that enhance cultural awareness. Through our initiatives, the Office of Equity and Inclusion hopes to foster an environment that values, respects and celebrates the diverse identities represented at Elmhurst University and beyond.
Title V
Hispanic Service Institute (HSI)
Elmhurst University is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution, or HSI. This designation opens the door to provide our Hispanic, Latinx and underrepresented students with a successful Elmhurst experience. By receiving this grant, it strengthens the ability of Elmhurst University to carry out higher education programs to attract, retain, and graduate outstanding students. This grant program aligns the efforts of HSIs to support academic development and career attainment of all of our students with an emphasis on underrepresented and Latinx groups.
La Promesa Azul
Creating Opportunities and Enhancing Resources to Assure and Sustain Success for Hispanic and Underrepresented Students at Elmhurst University. The H.S.I Grant is a 5-year, $2.99m grant ($3.4m total) beginning October 1, 2022. Immediate needs include but are not limited to: establishing a center for Excellence and Achievement, implementing Faculty and Curricular development program and increasing underserved student participation in internships, study abroad, undergraduate research and service learning.
Calling All Voices Podcast
Equity and Inclusion at ElmhurstOEI Peer Educator Student Worker Program
Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) Peer Educators will serve as student liaisons and establish connections and collaborations with active student organizations and affinity groups. OEI Peer Educators will assist in programming, co-facilitation of on campus seminars and workshops, and promote our department’s mission of creating a culture of equity and inclusion for students at Elmhurst University. For more information, please email us at equityandinclusion@elmhurst.edu
Peer Educators for 2022-2023
- Jon Ramicone
- Amoni Bond
- Chayna Blackshear
Campus and Community Resources
Below are documents to help students and families in the Elmhurst University community. For questions about the resources listed, contact the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
Meet Our Team
A proud native of Chicago’s South Side and graduate of Lindblom Tech, now Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Bruce King joined the Bluejay family at Elmhurst University in 2022 as the inaugural Vice President for Equity and Inclusion. Prior to his arrival at the EU, Bruce served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Racial Equity for City Colleges of Chicago and Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where his work spanned across the college to include faculty diversity and retention, strategic enrollment management, professional development for faculty and staff, and building the college’s capacity to transition their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts into an Antiracist framework for the institution.
Bruce brings with him more than 30 years of experience in educational equity and inclusion having worked in both higher education and K-12 spaces. From creating a model for free all-day kindergarten for the neediest students in a suburban school district to creating the George Floyd Fellowship Program celebrating Black Excellence in the Liberal Arts, Bruce’s career has grown with the rise in awareness of the urgency of addressing issues of equity, access, and inclusion at the most senior levels of higher education. A founding member and former Vice President of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), Bruce has also held offices in the Consortium for Faculty Diversity (CFD), Liberal Arts Diversity Officers Organization (LADO), and the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), housed here in Chicago.
A graduate of Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, where he received his MSW in Individual and Family Therapy, Bruce has had opportunities to continue his professional education as a Public Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Policy. He has also completed the Higher Education Management Development Program (MDP) and Institute for Educational Management (IEM) Programs at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Bruce approaches his work with the heart of a social worker and the insight of a higher education veteran. He looks forward to contributing to the hard work of equity, already in progress, as a Bluejay and considers it a privilege to return to a liberal arts universityto share in the lift by supporting the work required for equity and inclusion. He is especially excited to be a partner in the transition as Elmhurst University becomes a designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Bruce is the proud dad of three adult children and shares his home in the city with his partner Nathaniel Tucker.
Vincent "Vinny" Cascio, MA, CRC, LPC
Associate Director for Student Equity and Inclusion
Vinny received his Master’s in Clinical Counseling & Rehabilitation, at Adler University in Chicago, and is a licensed Mental Health Therapist in the state of Illinois. He has worked with various mental health and non-profit institutions throughout his career and has dedicated over 8 years advocating on behalf of students in higher education. Vinny has also served in various leadership roles within local community advocacy groups and is passionate about ensuring underrepresented minority communities to have equitable access to resources and services. Vinny has been instrumental in the growth and development of the Department of Equity and Inclusion’s efforts to build and sustain a more inclusive campus community for students. The scope of his work includes ensuring institutional policies and procedures are student-centered and equitable across the board. Vinny works diligently on creating partnerships among student groups and institutional departments to enhance on campus programming, centering efforts on building a more inclusive community. In addition, he supports excellence in teaching and learning through the facilitation of culturally responsive strategies for faculty, staff and administration.
I received my Master of Education in 2018 with a focus on higher education and transfer student retention. Since then, I have worked in both student and academic affairs. I have always been energized by the work of Equity and Inclusion and am excited to step into my role as the DHSI Project Director and champion this important project. As a first-generation college student who was also a transfer student, I am passionate about creating spaces where students see themselves reflected and making sure that every student has equitable access to the resources and support they deserve.
Madelyn Ende
Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Equity and Inclusion
I am a novice to higher education who moved from the HR Department to the Office of Equity and Inclusion. I have obtained my Certification in Diversity & Inclusion in HR Management to better assist students and staff. I am also HR certified through HRCI. Visit our office and introduce yourself, I love meeting new students and staff.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” –Desmond Tutu.