The University is sponsoring a series of new diversity training programs for students, the first of which will take place this Friday, Sept. 16.

According to a Monday community-wide email from Kim Godsoe, associate provost for academic affairs, the first diversity workshop on Friday is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and will be led by the Posse Foundation, which has conducted similar diversity training programs at other colleges and universities.

The Posse Foundation is a nationally recognized group and is connected to the University through the Brandeis Posse Program, a competitive scholarship program that chooses a select group of high school students as Brandeis Posse Scholars each year. The Brandeis Posse Program was founded by alumna Debbie Bial ’87.

Representatives from the Posse Foundation will serve as “session facilitators” at the training sessions, according to Godsoe’s email.

The training program is described as “interactive and engaging” in the email and will explore questions of diversity and inclusion on campus — for both student leaders and community members — through dialogue and discussion.

Only 100 students are able to participate in the Friday workshop, as spots are limited, and students must register by 5 p.m. on Wednesday in order to receive a spot. According to the email, if more students register than there are spots available, participants for the session will be chosen at random in order to make sure that “all class years are represented and that both undergraduate and graduate students are represented. “

Other diversity trainings are scheduled throughout the fall, including three training sessions for faculty, which will focus on implicit bias and creating inclusive classrooms. There will also be several diversity trainings for all staff members, which will focus on similar issues, including access and inclusion on campus and intersectionality, as noted in the email.

These diversity training sessions are part of the many recent steps the University has taken to improve diversity and discussions about diversity on campus.

University President Ronald Liebowitz sent an email to students on Aug. 29 outlining upcoming diversity and inclusion efforts on campus and the progress that has been made so far in such efforts. These include the near-complete search for a chief diversity officer, the University’s attempt to increase the applicant pool of students of color, the hiring of new staff of color at the Brandeis Counseling Center and a new website that highlights diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus, as well as other efforts.

—Rachel Sharer