COE doctoral student to serve as diversity advisor at UNG

UNG president Bonita Jacobs recently appointment Sheila Caldwell, a doctoral student in the Department of Career and Information Studies, as the diversity advisor for the University of North Georgia (UNG).

Caldwell currently serves as the director of the university's Complete College Georgia initiative, which is aimed at increasing the rate of college completion by young adults in Georgia. She will continue her duties as the director of this initiative in addition to her new role as diversity advisor.

Some of her diversity-building efforts at the institution will include crafting a UNG Diversity Statement and Diversity Strategic Plan and hiring diverse job candidates.

"I believe that UNG has areas for improvement, but I believe that we are starting from a good place," said Caldwell in a story released by UNG. "UNG has several diversity initiatives we can build on to create a more inclusive UNG."

Caldwell also plans on expanding diversity-focused student groups across all UNG campuses, implementing diversity awards for faculty and staff and starting a presidential diversity speaker series.

Before pursuing a doctoral degree in workforce education from the University of Georgia College of Education, Caldwell earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from Northern Illinois University and a master's degree in educational leadership from Argosy University.

This year, Caldwell was awarded the Dr. Louise McBee Scholarship by the Georgia Association for Women in Higher Education for her leadership, academic excellence and community service in the field of higher education. She previously served as the state coordinator of high school initiatives for the Technical College System of Georgia and has worked in admissions at several institutions, including Northwestern Business College and the Illinois Institute of Art.