A Renewed Call to Action
Dear Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵs, faculty and staff members,
The American Educational Studies Association and more than 2,100 college, university and K-12 educators, scholars and organizations have designated today as a Day of Action. The goal is to urge schools, colleges and universities to declare their commitments to anti-racist curricula, policies and practices at their institutions.
In June, I told the Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ community was absolute. On this Day of Action, I reaffirm that commitment. And I am again pledging that our words will be met with action and backed by appropriate resources.
The outlines steps we are taking – and those we intend to take – to create true and lasting change in nearly every aspect of campus life.
The plan was crafted over the course of a year by the and the Diversity Advisory Council, a group of faculty, staff, Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵs and community partners. It was approved last fall.
The measurable goals it lists align with those motivating this Day of Action and include:
- increasing the recruitment and retention of Black administrators, faculty, staff and Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵs to better reflect the Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ’s demographics and those of our wider community;
- offering interdisciplinary and co-curricular courses that improve cultural understanding and sensitivities, and providing increased support to faculty and Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ research in these areas;
- creating Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ organizations that encourage intercultural engagement and offer professional development opportunities;
- enhancing Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ services to better meet the needs and ensure the success of underrepresented populations; and
- reviewing institutional policies, procedures and resources that support – or, in some cases, inhibit – diversity, inclusion and equity.
I want to and to help us reach the milestones it sets forth.
In the five months since my June message, the Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ has taken a number of steps and received several recognitions I’d like to share with you.
- Starting next year, Juneteenth, which marks the day in 1865 when enslaved Blacks in Texas learned of their freedom, will be a Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ holiday for Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵs and employees.
- The Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ was chosen to join the Aspire Alliance's IChange Network, which will transform our faculty diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly in the hiring and retention of STEM faculty.
- This month’s issue of Insight Into Diversity magazine recognized the Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ as among the nation’s best for its programs, initiatives and efforts that promote equity and inclusion. This is the third consecutive year we have received the publication’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award.
We are making progress, and that progress has won us praise – but we cannot rest on our laurels. Our journey is far from done.
By continuing to work together, we can demonstrate the power of diversity and inclusivity to move our community – and our Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵ – toward a more socially just and equitable future.
That’s a commitment worth making, not only on this Day of Action, but for all the days to come.
Thank you,
Dr. Joseph Savoie
President