In partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Jabil Inc., the Muma College of Business will offer a free certificate program focused on ways to cultivate a workplace that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion.

The seven-week certificate program will focus on ways businesses and organizations can “create a more diverse workplace as well as address equity issues and foster inclusivity.” The program will consist of seven two-hour modules and go from March 24 through May 5. All participants who pass all quizzes and successfully finish all modules will receive a digital certificate and a Credly badge that can be displayed on LinkedIn.

Besides lectures from the Muma College of Business faculty, the program will also feature guest speakers across the Tampa Bay area and the country, including author of the Amazon #1 seller “Happiness as a Second Language” Valerie Alexander and Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft Jenny lay-Flurrie. From learning how to build and grow a workforce on the basis of diversity to helping companies develop “novel” business practices, the program will welcome people across all levels and industries.

“As a business school, we want to educate employees at all levels on tools and practices that can help companies build and implement sustainable diversity, equity and inclusion programs,” said Moez Limayem, the Lynn Pippenger Dean of the USF Muma College of Business. “We, like our partners at Jabil and the Tampa Bay Lightning, strongly believe that companies must examine the business case for inclusion and understand how it is relevant to their business as it can be a competitive differentiator in many ways when it is part of the corporate culture.”

The program will include modules designed to help companies “shift from awareness to action and to ensure that diversity and inclusion are part of the organization’s long-term focus.” All modules will be aired live from 5-7 p.m. and participants will have two weeks to view and complete the recorded sessions. 

The program is free for everyone interested in participating, but pre-registration is required. Individuals can register on the Muma College of Business website.