Onward and Upward | September 2022
On behalf of the Division of Diversity & Inclusion, it is our honor to welcome you to the start of the 2022-2023 academic year as we continue onward and upward in our diversity and inclusion endeavors!
RIT’s ongoing collective efforts in the DEI space have resulted in the university being recognized nationally with several awards, among them the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award (9th time); being named a 2022 Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine (8th time); and being listed in the “Top 200 Colleges for Native Americans” in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society’s Winds of Change magazine (12th time).
The RIT Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity was a major focus last year, in addition to collaborating to improve graduation rates of the students we serve; endeavoring to attract and retain diverse world-class faculty; and seeking to hire, promote and retain an increasingly diverse and outstanding staff. For those new to RIT, the Action Plan, released in summer 2021, highlights RIT’s commitment to look at and “address systemic racial inequities and injustices” as we strive to enhance a “sense of belonging” among students and employees. As you review the plan, I am pleased to offer just a few highlights of work underway by many at the university.
First, RIT Leadership set the tone for inclusive leadership development by the RIT Board of Trustees and the President’s Administrative Council partaking in an Intercultural Development Inventory to better understand our individual as well as our group development in this space. Our efforts for intercultural development continued in various activities we engaged in through the year—whether taking part in Diversity Education and Diversity Theater offerings, attending various diversity programs and events, or through the President’s Cabinet meeting downtown in June in the City Art Space to learn about RIT’s downtown origins, through the Clarissa Uprooted: Unearthing Stories of our Village 1940s-early 1970s exhibit. This exhibition was organized by Rochester Teen Empowerment along with support from many, including elders of the original Clarissa Street Neighborhood, the Clarissa Street Reunion Committee and RIT faculty (John Aäsp and Juilee Decker) and students from the Colleges of Art and Design and Liberal Arts. This collaboration—that became part of museum studies and history courses—gave students practical experience with exhibition development as the exhibit featured a partial reconstruction of the stage of the Phythodd Club, a jazz club that was a cultural center of the thriving community, and revealed the historical deep connections between RIT and the greater Rochester community in which RIT was once a part. The Action Plan calls for greater community connections, and ongoing collaborations like these provide great opportunities.
Second, to better understand how RIT is experienced by different RIT Community populations, the Action Plan called for a Campus Climate Survey among other surveys and studies being done. Among the studies and surveys done in 2021-2022 were the Academic Affairs Student Success Steering Committee being charged to explore barriers and unique contributors to AALANA student success; the National College Health Assessment being administered in Fall 2021 by the Division of Student Affairs; the Fall 2021 Simpson Scarborough Brand Health Tracker survey, led by the Division of Marketing & Communications, that provided important insights on the perceptions held by prospective students, current students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and a campus-wide Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey, led by the Division of Diversity & Inclusion, that was administered in Spring 2022 through campus-wide efforts. This research has provided a wealth of information about our students and employees. Our next step, in Year Two of the Action Plan, is to integrate these and several other research and survey efforts that were conducted last year as we chart a clear course forward to enhance DEI endeavors.
Third, the Action Plan also called for a new tradition, Together RIT: A Day of Understanding, Solidarity and Racial Reconciliation. This event will be held Friday, October 21st to allow students, faculty, staff, and alumni an opportunity to come together and delve deeper in discussions about race, ethnicity, and racism. A university-wide committee, led by Dr. Taj Smith, began work on this initiative in Fall 2021 and a call for proposals was made in Spring 2022. Staff member Kelly Kamish, for example, is scheduled to present, “Just Pick White: The Invisibility of Arab Americans” while students Zoe Zapata, Josepfina Lopez, Paulina Sanchez, Morgan Lopez & Juan Hernandez, representing the Latin American Student Association (LASA) will present “Uniqueness in Latin Identity: We Are Not the Same!” Registration for this event opens on September 19th.
Fourth, to further build relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Provost Ellen Granberg led efforts resulting in the Howard University and Rochester Institute of Technology MOU being officially entered into on the 21st day of January 2022. There is much more to come regarding this agreement.
Finally, in efforts to increase specific, accountable pathway programs for AALANA students, the RIT partnership with Rochester Prep High School continues. In 2018, the first three Rochester Prep High School students—Zaid Abdulsalam, Ismael Cortes, Jr. and Justice Marbury—announced their decision to attend RIT. All graduated in May, on time, with bright futures ahead. This Fall, another six RPHS students will join RIT as Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars. Further, a new partnership with DREAM Charter School in East Harlem welcomes 9 students this fall. Also, the Performing Arts Scholars program will be moving forward as a vehicle for formal partnership with schools such as School of the Arts and Buffalo Arts Academy.
These are just a few of the initiatives; however, the Action Plan has several other action items underway. You can learn more about these and other initiatives at Together RIT! Know that the Division of Diversity & Inclusion embraces opportunities to partner with each of you in this great work.
So, “welcome to the start of another exciting academic year!” Please check out the Division of Diversity and Inclusion’s Tiger Imprint Showcase for the 2021-2022 Academic Year highlights.
Join me, also, in welcoming several new colleagues or colleagues in different roles in the Division. We are further pleased to share that T. Andrew Brown, Managing Partner of BrownHutchinson LLP Attorneys at Law since 1994 and former General Counsel of the National Bar Association, joins us this year as the 2022-2023 RIT Minett Professor.
Finally, in addition to partaking in innovative heritage month celebrations, be on the lookout for our regular Spring semester celebrations—“Let Freedom Ring”, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Katrina Overby, RIT School of Communication, and “Expressions of King’s Legacy”, featuring Pulitzer Prize investigative journalist, Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of the 1619 Project.
Onward and Upward together into another rewarding year!