Organizational culture and community

Support for you to thrive

At UMSI, we believe in building a community where every member feels recognized, heard and valued. This commitment aligns directly with a key goal in the UMSI Strategic Plan (2025-30): cultivating a positive culture that supports all community members in reaching their full potential.

The Organizational Culture and Community (OCC) team leads school-wide programming and initiatives to:

promote belonging for community members of all identities, backgrounds and abilities
expand access to a UMSI education
support a healthy and effective learning and working environment

By fostering the conditions that allow creativity and collaboration to flourish, the OCC team advances UMSI’s core values of social good, interdisciplinarity, respect, innovation and sociotechnical thinking. Our focus on organizational culture ensures these efforts have longevity because they are embedded in the fabric of the school.

Our core structure is collaborative in nature. Working alongside other UMSI offices, we provide strategic guidance and develop sustainable programs to address the needs of the entire community: students, faculty and staff. We also strive to make a UMSI education possible for more people through educational outreach and collaboration with K-12 schools, Michigan community colleges and other U-M schools and colleges.

What is organizational culture?

Organizational culture includes the values, beliefs, systems and norms that define a learning or working environment. To put it simply, it’s how the school feels to the people who are part of it.

The OCC team works to support and transform UMSI’s organizational culture by:

Creating and sustaining policies, procedures and programs that center the experiences of community members
Addressing barriers to full participation in the UMSI community
Collaborating with units across the school to further UMSI’s mission of empowering people to use information and technology to build a better world
Facilitating education and training for faculty, staff and students to develop their skills and support their roles

Highlights

Two people play rock, paper scissors outside. They are wearing warm coats and the trees behind them are changing color.

Inclusive Leaders in Information Program

Introduced in 2024 through a partnership with UMSI’s Academic Programs and Student Life team, the Inclusive Leaders in Information program equips student leaders with the skills to encourage participation among their peers in the information science field. It is one of multiple Student Life leadership initiatives available at UMSI.

UMSI Culture of Care Committee

This committee – composed of UMSI faculty, staff and students – works closely with the OCC team and UMSI leadership to build an inclusive school culture and identify priority needs.

Workshops for UMSI staff and faculty

Through workshops on universal design, equitable teaching and other key topics, we equip staff and faculty with essential skills to enrich their teaching and working environments.

How do we build community?

The UMSI community is made up of students, faculty, staff and alumni who come from different areas of study, parts of the world, and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Building community isn’t just about bringing people together on a campus or in an event space; it’s about making intentional decisions that enable a sense of belonging. We are committed to:

Expanding access to the study of information science
Fostering dialogue among community members who hold different perspectives
Creating meaningful programming and partnerships that broaden participation at UMSI

Highlights

A large group photo in a courtyard in front of an academic building.

UMSI Community College Summer Institute

Launched in 2017, CCSI allows Michigan community college students to explore information science at no cost, while providing resources to support them in the transfer process.

UMSI Community Read

Each winter, UMSI students, staff, faculty alumni join in shared conversations about a chosen book. Recent selections have included “Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century,” edited by Alice Wong, and “Viral Justice: How We Grow the Word We Want” by Ruha Benjamin.

Two students laugh together at a table with a red tablecloth and paper lanterns on it.

UMSI Lunar New Year Celebration

Cultural connection events like our annual Lunar New Year Celebration invite the UMSI community to come together in play and celebration — often with good food.

Questions or feedback?

Email Devon Archer, assistant dean for organizational culture and community, at [email protected] or [email protected].