Inclusion

Dakesa Piña becomes the inaugural vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at the private, liberal arts university that enrolls 1,600 students. The breadth of her role includes embedding DEI in academic units, workplace culture and facilities, plus supervising the existing Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Cecilia Ruffin recently became the Multicultural Leadership Institute's executive director. While volunteering in the Bloomington-Normal community for decades has been a key focus in Ruffin's life, she shares what keeps her grounded and why she devotes her time to being engaged in her community.

A group that represents 250 engineering firms in the state says it's excited about Illinois State University's decision to start a College of Engineering.

Eric Ellis is president and CEO of Integrity Development Corp., a diversity and inclusion consulting firm. He'll be the keynote speaker at the Bloomington-Normal NAACP's Freedom Fund event at 6 p.m. Saturday on Zoom.

Illinois State University's new Multicultural Center opened this month. ISU says it's part of its commitment to creating equitable and inclusive opportunities for students.

Whether and how the Bloomington City Council tackles some of the thorniest social justice issues in the community may hinge on the outcome of the April 6…