UO Multicultural Center

What UO Multicultural Center does

UO Multicultural Center operates as the Division of Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at the University of Oregon, a non-profit administrative division housed within a public state university in Eugene, Oregon. The division was established around 2016 under Vice President Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh and is supported by approximately 18 specialized staff including Assistant Vice Presidents, directors, multicultural academic counselors, program managers, and an events coordinator. Its mandate is to ensure equitable access to opportunities, benefits, and resources for UO students, faculty, staff, and community members, operationalized through the UO IDEAL framework (Inclusion, Diversity, Evaluation, Achievement, Leadership) and the proprietary L.A.C.E. (Love, Authenticity, Courage, Empathy) methodology developed by the Vice President.

The division's product surface spans four functional areas: Student Success (cultural navigation advising, tutoring, scholarships including CMAE Scholars Abroad and Home Flight Scholars, leadership development, the Bridge Program, and writing support); Engaging Community (heritage and history month programming across seven identity categories, the African American Workshop and Lecture Series, the MLK Awards Luncheon, and affinity/strategy groups); Organizational Learning (L.A.C.E. framework toolkit, the UO Coaching Program, and the President's Diversity Advisory Community Council); and Innovation & Impact (Writing Circles, Writing Support, and the Indigenous PRIDE Awards). Technology infrastructure is non-commercial: the division operates an institutional website and digital resource hub, with no APIs, SDKs, or AI-driven product features.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial. All services — advising, workshops, heritage programming, scholarships, coaching — are provided free of charge to University of Oregon students, faculty, and staff, funded through the university's general operating budget. There is no pricing model, no commercial revenue stream, and no investor structure; the division is governed as part of the state university's administrative hierarchy. Distribution is direct and on-campus (Tykeson Hall and Oregon Hall offices), augmented by virtual programming and email communications. External partnerships (Project Shema, Oregon Hillel, Roots/Shorashim/Judur, Brandeis University, Many Nations Longhouse) extend the division's reach into interfaith and community-reconciliation work without altering its non-commercial operating model.

Name

UO Multicultural Center

Legal name

Division of Equity and Inclusion, University of Oregon

Website

https://inclusion.uoregon.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Division of Equity and Inclusion (UO Multicultural Center) at the University of Oregon is a non-profit administrative division that delivers free equity, inclusion, and multicultural academic support services to UO students, faculty, and staff through the L.A.C.E. framework, heritage programming, scholarships, and counseling, funded by the university's general operating budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Equity and Inclusion Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs (EDALAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional Development for Inclusive Practices (General Education Staff) (EDAKABAL), Inclusive Education (Disability, Gender Equity, Marginalized Learners) (BPADAKAI), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF), Specialized Instruction & Resource Support (Inclusion, Pull-Out, Co-Teaching) (EDAJAKAC)

Keywords

• Equity and inclusion services
• Multicultural academic support
• Higher education diversity
• Student success programs
• Organizational learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Eugene

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. University Funding: As a division of the University of Oregon, the Division of Equity and Inclusion is funded through the university's general operating budget and does not charge for services to students, faculty, or staff.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Division of Equity and Inclusion delivers free equity, diversity, and inclusion services to University of Oregon students, faculty, and staff. Its core offerings include multicultural academic advising and tutoring through the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE), heritage month programming, scholarship administration, the proprietary L.A.C.E. community-building framework, affinity-based strategy groups, leadership coaching, and writing circles. All services are funded through the university's general operating budget and provided at no cost to internal UO constituents.

Product overview

The Division of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Oregon operates as a comprehensive institutional support structure rather than a commercial product portfolio. The division offers integrated services including student success programs through the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence, heritage celebration programming, the L.A.C.E. Framework for community building, scholarship programs, coaching services, writing support, and various affinity-based strategies groups. These services work together to promote inclusive excellence and support diverse student, faculty, and staff populations across the university.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• L.A.C.E. Framework: Love. Authenticity. Courage. Empathy. A community building initiative within the Division of Equity and Inclusion focused on fostering inclusive campus climate
• Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE)
• Center on Diversity and Community (CoDaC)

Products and services

• Student Success Programs Advisory services connecting students with academic resources and opportunities through cultural navigators, including tutoring, academic advising, scholarships, and leadership development programs. Built for University of Oregon students.
• Heritage and History Months Programming Year-round programming recognizing diverse communities including Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Black History Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Latinx Heritage Month, LGBTQIA+ History Month, Native American Heritage Month, and Women's History Month through events, lectures, and workshops. For UO students, faculty, and staff.
• L.A.C.E. Framework (Love, Authenticity, Courage, Empathy) A community-building framework promoting inclusive excellence through self-awareness, relationship building, and systems transformation, with a toolkit for classroom and organizational use. Developed by Vice President Yvette Alex-Assensoh for UO students, faculty, and staff.
• Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE) Academic support services including tutoring, advising, the Bridge Program, and multicultural academic counseling for diverse student populations at the University of Oregon.
• Scholarships Multiple scholarship programs including CMAE Scholars Abroad, Duck Excellence Scholarship, George and Vera Fracchia Scholarship, Home Flight Scholars Program, Maradel Gale Pacific Islands Scholarship, and Robert J. Erickson Kaiser Permanente Scholarship supporting diverse University of Oregon students.
• UO Coaching Program Leadership coaching services with trained coaches supporting personal and professional development for UO students, faculty, and staff.
• Our Strategies Groups Affinity groups including Asian/Desi/Pacific Islander Strategies Group, Black Strategies Group, Latinx Strategy Group, Native American Strategies Group, Deconstructing Whiteness Working Group, Employee Disability and Neurodiversity Affinity Group, Jewish Faculty and Staff Resource Group, and SOAGIE focused on community building and advocacy for UO students, faculty, and staff.
• Writing Circles and Writing Support Collaborative writing support and scholarly impact acceleration services for UO faculty, staff, and students.
• Indigenous PRIDE Awards Annual recognition program celebrating Indigenous student achievements with awards for various categories of accomplishment at the University of Oregon.
• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Awards Luncheon Annual awards ceremony recognizing individuals and organizations demonstrating excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion work at the University of Oregon.
• Resource Pond Lending Library Educational materials lending service providing books, media, and teaching resources for multicultural education at the University of Oregon.
• Student Leadership Team (SLT) Leadership development program for University of Oregon students focused on community engagement and diversity advocacy skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• Latinx undergraduate enrollment increased from 3.5% in 2006 to 11% by 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Project ShemacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on combating antisemitism through workshops that help faculty, staff, and students better understand contemporary antisemitism and implicit bias, providing tools for productive conversations including those focused on Jewish-Muslim-Christian relations.
• Roots/Shorashim/JudurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Israeli-Palestinian community center in the West Bank bringing together local settlers and Palestinians working towards reconciliation. DEI is engaging in interfaith work through this partnership.
• Oregon HillelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Oregon Hillel on the Manzil Midrash series of events focused on Muslim-Jewish relations, including discussions on historical narratives of Israel, famous Muslims and Jews, and culinary events to bring students together.
• Brandeis UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVP Alex-Assensoh participated in Brandeis University's Pacific Northwest Leadership Institute on Antisemitism, joining peers from across the region to build understanding about contemporary antisemitism and its historical roots.
• Many Nations LonghousecoreOthersUO facility providing support and community for Native American students, faculty, and staff, offering dinner, culture and community nights.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Insight Into Diversity: Publisher of the HEED Award that UO DEI received in 2025; an ecosystem stakeholder that connects, recognizes, and benchmarks DEI programs across higher education.
• National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE): The professional membership association for chief diversity officers at colleges and universities — an industry/ecosystem peer that the UO VP would engage with as part of the national DEI professional community.

Emerging players

• Evergreen Education Group: Consulting and training firm that partners with universities to operationalize DEI strategy, faculty equity training, and inclusive practice frameworks — a partial-overlap commercial counterpart to UO DEI's organizational learning work.

Direct peers

• University of Wisconsin–Madison Office of Diversity, Equity & Educational Progress: Wisconsin's DEEP office coordinates multicultural student programs, heritage programming, and faculty/staff equity resources at a major public R1 — closely parallel in scope and delivery model to UO DEI.
• Stanford DICE (Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement): Stanford University's central diversity and inclusion office offering identity-based community programs, advising, and institutional equity initiatives — a direct functional peer to UO's Division of Equity and Inclusion at a peer R1 public/private university.
• University of Michigan DEI: Michigan's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion delivers multicultural student programs, identity-based community support, and organizational learning — directly comparable in scope and service model to UO DEI.
• Brandeis University Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Brandeis's DEI division hosts the Pacific Northwest Leadership Institute on Antisemitism that UO's VP participates in; functionally and structurally a peer unit serving a research university community.
• Ohio State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion: Ohio State's ODI runs cultural centers, identity-based programs, and institutional equity initiatives at a large public R1 — a closely matched functional peer with similar scale and program breadth.
• UC Berkeley Office of Equity & Inclusion: Berkeley's centralized equity, diversity, and inclusion unit provides cultural centers, identity-based programming, faculty equity support, and student success services — a closely comparable R1 university DEI operation.
• USC Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: USC's central EDI office coordinates cultural centers, identity-based communities, and faculty equity resources across a large research university — comparable in mandate and programmatic structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UOregon
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UniversityOregon
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityOregon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uo-multicultural-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/universityoforegon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UO Multicultural Center