Belonging

Center for Civil Dialogue & Civic Engagement
CDCE empowers individuals by fostering civil discourse, critical thinking, inclusivity, and global awareness to build a supportive community where all can engage respectfully across differences. Core services include campus climate research, support for free expression, discussion training, awareness-building workshops and events, a reflection room, and Campus Thread.

OMSS
Office of Multicultural Student Services (OMSS) advocates for the retention and graduation of multicultural students. OMSS believes in a holistic one-stop approach in developing students and creating access to pathways for college success and opportunities. Our mission is to create a sense of belonging through connection, authenticity, and access.

Pride Center
The Pride Center provides education, advocacy, outreach, support, and resources for UWL LGBTIQIA+ students, faculty, staff, and our friends, families, and allies.

Hekima Scholars
This scholar program offers first- and second-year students, including those who identify as male, an opportunity to explore social and identity development with a focus on masculinity. Participants enroll in a one-credit learning community course that fosters authentic connections and personal growth through curriculum designed to support academic, social, and leadership development. The program aims to build meaningful relationships and create a strong sense of belonging.

AERIE LLC
OMSS coordinates a Living and Learning Community that supports participating first-year students by fostering connections through dedicated staff, faculty, peer mentorship, and intentional programming in both classroom and residential settings. Participants engage in mentorship, two shared courses (one if fall/spring semester), and campus resources to enhance student success and sense of belonging. AERIE focuses on academic excellence, retention, and leadership development through multicultural organizations and residence life.

Multicultural Student Organizations(MSO)
OMSS offers leadership training, advising, and administrative support for eight MSOs. Founded by students and led by student facilitators, these organizations foster a sense of belonging and provide programming that aligns with their missions. OMSS collaborates closely with MSOs to enhance their impact and support their initiatives.

Transfer Connections
This program supports recently transferred students by pairing them with a current OMSS student connector who provides guidance, answers questions, and encourages campus and community involvement. Participants also receive ongoing support from an OMSS staff member to ease their transition and adjustment. Through mentorship and resources, the program fosters meaningful connections to enhance student success and engagement.;

Civil Discourse Initiatives

UWL sponsors a variety of programs and events that help students, faculty, and staff explore free speech, as well as, civil and thoughtful engagement across the diversity of thought that exists across the campus community.  These initiatives seek to provide research-based strategies for positively engaging in dialogue and discussion.

UWL Celebrates

Join us monthly as we celebrate a different community on campus. UWL Celebration Months amplifies voices from the many vibrant cultures and communities on campus. Join us throughout the year as we celebrate our friends and neighbors and gain a deeper understanding of our community.

Social Justice Week

Grounded in the Wisconsin Idea and UWL’s mission, vision, and values, this voluntary conference connects campus and community members to critically examine the ways we can navigate, shape, and reimagine the future of belonging at UWL and beyond. This week-long event allows participants to build strategies for real impact, ensuring that UWL remains a place of opportunity, expression, and shared progress for all.

Equity Liaisons

The Equity Liaison Initiative is a strategic, cooperative, campus-wide effort to identify and close equity gaps affecting students and employees. An equity liaison is a faculty or staff member who volunteers within each unit to analyze and interpret equity data, gather relevant resources, and advocate for evidence-based strategies to help their unit better anticipate and address these equity gaps.

Joint Committee on Civil Discourse
JCCD furthers the mission of the university by promoting greater awareness of the values of free speech, freedom of expression, and academic freedom. The committee, charged by the Chancellor, advances UWL's commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression.

TRIO Programs:

Student Support Services
The SSS offices serve as a campus homebase for 350 first-gen, low-income, and disabled students, offering peer mentoring and tutoring, advising, free printing, quiet study spaces, a food pantry, and so much more. The SSS team’s holistic, relationship-centered approach fosters a close-knit, authentic environment where all feel welcome and accepted in a true community of belonging.

McNair Scholars Program
The McNair Scholars Program provides a space of belonging and empowerment for eligible students who apply and are admitted to the program. Scholars form a high-achieving, graduate school oriented community, and have access to quiet and common study areas, technology, free printing, a kitchen, and professional staff who provide mentoring and career and academic advising in preparation for graduate school. Direct financial supports include a paid summer research internship, summer housing and tuition scholarships, graduate school application fees, and support for travel to research conferences and graduate schools. The program is open to all students in any major that could lead to a PhD and who meet federal eligibility guidelines.

UWL First Scholars LLC
UWL First! Scholars annually supports up to 50 first-generation, Pell-eligible students in their first two years on campus. The program fosters a sense of belonging through shared living-learning experiences, peer mentorship, and federal work-study placements, creating a supportive environment where students feel welcomed and valued.