Workplace Certificate Program
"Supporting an environment rich in diverse perspectives, cultures, beliefs and experiences allows us to foster a more thoughtful and welcoming community and strengthen our ability to work cooperatively toward our core mission."
- Joe DiPietro, former University of Tennessee president
Administration
Peter F. Buckley, MD
Chancellor
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP
Associate Vice Chancellor and Title IX Coordinator
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
About the Program
The Office of Access and Compliance is excited to announce the Workplace Certificate Program (WCP) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Increasingly, inclusion, civility, and diversity in the workplace encourage a focus on culture and are strategic business drivers that directly impact organizational climate, effectiveness, and reputation. Investing in UT Health Science Center's workplace is paramount to improving employee engagement, serving students more effectively, increasing institutional innovation, preparing more knowledgeable healthcare professionals, and growing external relationships in the marketplace.
The program will demonstrate that inclusion, civility, and diversity enable our organization's broader range of perspectives and backgrounds, leading to more effective decision-making. Participants will gain a sound of understanding of the latest research and best practices relevant to the workforce, workplace, and marketplace because we posit organizational culture starts with professional development.
This Workplace Certificate Program (WCP Level I & II) offers a voluntary learning opportunity for faculty, staff, trainees, and students. It aligns with UT Health Science Center's strategic plan in which diverse perspectives are encouraged, valued, and respected.
The Workplace Certificate Program was designed to allow voluntary participants to explore their beliefs, values, attitudes, expectations, identities, and behavior and connect those to the foundational concepts of inclusion, civility, and diversity.
The WCP will be offered as two different levels. Level I and Level II will offer different classes.
| Level I | Level II | |
| Format | Virtual | In-person |
| Required Courses | 5 | 7 |
| Elective Courses | 2 | 4 |
*Please see below for details regarding schedule and curriculum.
To qualify for the certificate signed by the Chancellor (Level II), participants must achieve a 75% or higher score in core courses quizzes. These quizzes will be administered during the program via Qualtrics.
Upon acceptance into the program, more information about electives and enrollment will be provided.
Participants in the program can expect to:
- Explore their beliefs, values, attitudes, expectations, background, identities, and behavior.
- Develop critical competencies relevant to a wide variety of disciplines.
- Deepen their understanding of historical and institutionalized policies that continue to impact inequities for diverse and marginalized populations.
- Learn strategies for recognizing cognitive bias and supporting a positive organizational culture.
Developing a more knowledgeable workforce by enhancing staff competencies and behavior in the workplace creates a positive organizational culture.
Specific objectives:
- Understanding foundational how organizational culture is defined by inclusion, civility, and diversity.
- Connect the impact of attitudes, expectations, and beliefs vital to organizational goals to identify critical gaps that impact overall effectiveness.
- Help create a culture that values difference and celebrates a global outlook in understanding the mixture of differences and similarities and related tensions and complexities.
- Considerations and tools for fostering positive human relations while meeting organizational objectives.
- Professional development.
- Contribute to the University community by addressing the value of a positive organizational culture.
The curriculum explores foundational concepts essential to enhancing an organizational culture that supports an inclusive work environment through lectures, experiential activities, and independent learning activities.
The six-week certificate program’s curriculum builds knowledge, understanding, and application methodologies to address dynamics within a workplace like UTHSC, an academic health science center. Those who pursue this certificate will learn more about ways to assist and improve their ability to contribute to a positive work culture through inclusive behaviors.
To qualify for the Workplace Certificate Level I, participants must complete five (5) required courses. Additionally, participants must participate in two (2) elective courses to complete and participate in experiential learning activities. Overall, participants must attend seven (7) courses.
To qualify for a signed certificate by the VC for HR and AVC for OAC, participants must complete the five core course quizzes with a 75% or higher score. These quizzes will be administered during the program via Microsoft Teams.
| Course Name | Course Type | Units | |
| 1 | The Inclusion, Civility, and Diversity Equation | Required | 1.15 |
| 2 | Communicating Effectively in the Workplace | Required | 1.15 |
| 3 | Harassment at Work | Required | 1.15 |
| 4 | Are You Self-Aware? | Required | 1.5 |
| 5 | Practicing Radical Self Care | Required | 1.5 |
| Total | 5 Required Courses |
Elective Courses (A minimum of two required.)
| Course name | Course Type | Units |
| Observations, Assumptions, & Patterns | Elective | 1.15 |
| Serving on a Search Committee | Elective | 1.15 |
| Dealing with Conflict at Work | Elective | 1.15 |
| Engaging in the Interactive Process | Elective | 1.15 |
The curriculum explores foundational concepts essential to enhancing an organizational culture that supports an inclusive work environment through lectures, experiential activities, and independent learning activities.
The eight-week certificate program’s curriculum builds knowledge, understanding, and application methodologies to address dynamics within a workplace like UTHSC, an academic health science center. Those who pursue this certificate will learn more about ways to assist and improve their ability to contribute to a positive work culture through inclusive behaviors.
To qualify for the Workplace Certificate Level II, participants must complete seven (7) required courses. Additionally, participants must participate in three (3) elective courses and one (1) simulation class to complete and participate in experiential learning activities. Overall, participants must attend eleven (11) in-person courses.
To qualify for the certificate signed by the Chancellor, participants must complete the seven core course quizzes with a 75% or higher score. These quizzes will be administered during the program via Microsoft Teams.
| Course Name | Course Type | Units | |
| 1 | Accommodations 101 | Required | 1.5 |
| 2 | What's Law Got to Do with it? | Required | 1.5 |
| 3 | Conflict Resolution | Required | 1.6 |
| 4 | Leading with Civility in the Workplace | Required | 1.5 |
| 5 | CREATE: Strategies for Practicing Cultural Humility | Required | 1.5 |
| 6 | Safe Zones: What Do We Know | Required | 1.5 |
| 7 | Inclusive Languages | Required | 1.5 |
| Total | 7 Required Courses |
Elective Courses (A minimum of four required with one simulation.)
| Course name | Course Type | Units |
| Complaints: Informal and Formal | Elective | 1.15 |
| Sexual Misconduct 360 | Elective | 1.15 |
| Bystander Intervention | Elective | 1.15 |
| Inclusion, Civility, and Diversity: What We Know | Elective | 1.15 |
| Cognitive Bias in the Search Process | Elective | 1.15 |
| Experiencing Microaggressions/Microinequities | Elective | 1.15 |
| STAR Power Workshop (simulation) | Elective | 2.0 |
| Gender Bias Workshop (simulation) | Elective | 2.0 |
| Emotional Intelligence (simulation) | Elective | 2.0 |
Workplace Certificate Program Leader
- Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP
Associate Vice Chancellor and Title IX Coordinator
Instructors
- Chandra Alston, EdD, MBA
- Deborah Long, MSIO
- Abigail Caritan, MA
- Nakeshi "Nikki" Dyer, EdD, NCC
- Miriam Ghandi
- Omar Malik, JD
- Vikki M. Massey, MS
- Erin McElyea, MS
Program Coordinator
- Tammie Washington
- Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP
The Office of Access and Compliance offers the Workplace Certificate Program to only UT Health Science Center faculty, staff, trainees, and students at all locations. A complete application will include the following:
- Application - Level I
- A separate document with answers to open-ended questions (Level II only)
- Supervisor’s endorsement (does not apply to student applications)
To apply, submit a complete application following the steps above.
Applications for Level I will open April 11, 2024.