Office of the President Report
The President’s Executive Leadership Team will participate (June 22-June 25) in the 2021 Institute on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) designed to expand campus centers to dismantle racial hierarchies and build equitable communities. Ӱ’s application (.pdf) was prepared by Dr. Angela Locks, Executive Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Academic Affairs.
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is partnering with higher education institutions to develop to prepare the next generation of strategic leaders and critical thinkers to promote racial healing and to catalyze efforts to address current inequities grounded in notions of a racial hierarchy. As a national, community-based initiative, the TRHT effort launched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation seeks to address the historical and contemporary impacts of race and racism within our communities. Each TRHT Campus Center prioritizes expansive, community-based healing activities that seek to change collective community narratives and broaden the understanding of our diverse experiences.
At the Institute, the Executive Team will:
- identify evidence-based strategies that support Ӱ’s stated vision of what our community will look, feel, and be like when the belief in the hierarchy of human value no longer exists.
- participate in and design Rx Racial Healing Circles™.
- participate in workshops, and collaborate with experienced TRHT Campus Center mentors, workshop facilitators, and evaluation consultants to develop and/or refine their transformative campus action plans—including strategic goals, intended outcomes, evaluation strategies, communication, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability plans.
Outcomes will include:
- developing a comprehensive action plan to achieve TRHT goals.
- designing and facilitating Rx Racial Healing Circles™.
- becoming a part of the growing, national TRHT Campus Centers network.
- becoming eligible to host a TRHT Campus Center.
President’s Equity and Change Commission (PECC)
- Ongoing recruiting and appointment of equitable and diverse PECC membership, including network members
- The PECC Equity and Change Report subcommittee put forth the recommendation to capitalize "Black" when referring to African and African Diasporic people. Using a Capital B "recognizes the humanity, dignity and peoplehood of those who identify as Black".
- The Award for Faculty Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, established in 2021, is designed to encourage, reward, and publicly acknowledge transformative equity, diversity, and inclusive leadership to Ӱ.
- In partnership with BMAC, PECC put forth a recommendation to include A for Accessibility whenever referring to a Ӱ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiative. The university has accepted the recommendation. As a result, whenever we refer to our campus DEI initiatives, we should use the acronym, DEIA. The inclusion of Accessibility further emphasizes the university’s commitment to creating a more equitable and inclusive campus.
- Reviewed and approved two additional employee affinity groups
- Provided financial support to employee affinity groups
- Invited college leadership, university police, and academic senate to share updates about their respective equity reports
- Planned and implemented Inaugural DEIA Day focused on equity-minded workshops and panels for the campus community
- In partnership with Data Fellows, PECC members completed a scholarship equity project. A workgroup to review recommendations will be created in the next academic year.
- In partnership with Institutional Research & Analytics and Staff Human Resources, a staff employee dashboard data set is now available to the campus community. Reporting this data on a yearly basis is one step forward in becoming accountable and transparent to help cultivate a more equitable campus community.
President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW)
- Launched official partnership with the Women’s Gender and Equity Center
- Invited guest speakers to center voices of women issues related including Native American communities, caregiving, and child-care
- Practiced active land acknowledgement by inviting PCSW members to give examples of how they practice going beyond land acknowledgement
- Participated in piloting Student Parent Ally Training
- Renewed partnership with
- Hosted and sponsored 2023 Annual Research Colloquium: Beyond Resilience and Persistence: Demanding Active Change and Equity for Women Today with research presentation from Ӱ students, staff, and faculty.
- Awarded four Advancement of Women Awards to three faculty members and one student who demonstrate their commitment to the advancement of women and women-identifying individuals.
- Increased sponsorships to support events that align with PCSW’s mission.
- Utilized funding to support hiring two student assistants in effort to increase student engagement and visibility for PCSW sponsored events and activities.
President’s Commission on Sustainability (PCS)
- Increased attention given to the expanded definition of “sustainability” defined as the intentional and simultaneous focus on environmental, social, and economic health--into all aspects of the university.
- Co-facilitated and sponsored Climate Justice & Sustainability Across the Curriculum Workshop attended by faculty from across the university
- Ongoing a partnership with the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership to cross promote integration of the ethics of climate and environmental justice into the curriculum and developing a faculty community of practice to support these efforts
- Compiled and vetted Climate/Environmental Justice Curriculum Resources
- Sponsored and co-hosted a presentation by Dr. Nadia Kim, Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LA
- Continued commitment to improving communications and increasing engagement around sustainability and climate justice through events, newsletters, social media, and an upcoming re-branding.
- Earned 73.6% credits related to Diversity and Equity programs for the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) report.
