Dr. André Hudson, Receives the Isaac L. Jordan Sr. Faculty Pluralism Award | May 2023
André Hudson is fond of using inspirational quotes. Check his social media platforms, and you’ll find words of wisdom from physicist Albert Einstein to reggae singer and songwriting star Bob Marley. It is Marley he most often turns to. They share the same Jamaican roots- and- the basic understanding that everyone’s voice should be heard.
Hudson says, “Marley’s journey from humble beginnings to being the first third-world superstar showed me that anything is possible.”
And that’s the message Hudson shares with faculty, staff, and in particular, students at RIT. Long before he was appointed dean in the College of Science (COS), Hudson, like Marley has been a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion.
RIT recognizes that and is honoring him this year with the Isaac L. Jordan Sr. Pluralism Award, given to faculty who are making significant contributions to diversity, pluralism and inclusion on and off campus. Jordan was RIT’s first chairperson of the Commission for Promoting Pluralism from 1990 to 1994 and was a well-respected leader in creating initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion across the RIT campus. Hudson received the award during a ceremony April 13th.
Hudson says he is honored. “ Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) is an important part of who I am, so this award shows that RIT is not only committed to the tenets of DEIJ but the Institute values and appreciates individuals who are working to make RIT and the community a better place.. “ He adds, “Fostering an inclusive space where scholars from all backgrounds can thrive is important to student success. Setting an example where scholars can see academicians give of their time and talents is a great way to set a positive example, as it is a core pillar of being an impactful citizen. This is exactly what Mr. Jordan did! We can see and feel the impact of his contributions. “
Hudson, a trained biochemist, majored in Biology at Virginia Union University and that’s where he discovered his love of science and research, thanks to a mentor, Dr. Anthony Madu, whom he now emulates with his own students.
“He who took me under his wing and exposed me to research in his lab. He was also the principal investigator of the Minority Access Research Careers (MARC) program at Virginia Union. This program, funded by the National Institutes of Health provided resources to underrepresented students to facilitate exposure to resources. As a MARC student, I had the privilege to not only perform research but also the opportunity to present, which built my confidence and provided peer impact which allowed me to excel not only as an undergraduate but also as a graduate student at Rutgers.”
Hudson completed his post-doctoral work in biochemistry with an emphasis on amino acid metabolism at Rutgers, and then came to RIT, joining the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences (GSoLS) in the fall of 2008 as an Assistant Professor. He was awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor and Professor in the fall of 2014 and 2018 respectively. He served as the Head of the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences before his appointment in September 2022 as the Interim dean of the College of Science. He was appointed dean of COS effective May 1st.
Hudson has received numerous awards for his work in the STEM field. He was recently named one of the “50 Most Important African Americans in Technology” by the Journal of Black Innovation. At RIT, his years of focus on diversity and inclusion issues is well noted by those who know and work with him. One person wrote the following in a letter of recommendation for the RIT award: “He made sure, while School Head, that our seminar speakers and invited guests did not all look the same. He recognized that our students need to see themselves in the scientist and experts we bring to campus and ensured there was gender balance and diversity in our speakers.”
Another pointed to his creation and the appointment of the first ever Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the College of Science this past September and of the hiring of a new Program Manager for the Inclusive Excellence (IE) Program.
They wrote: “The IE Program Manager is a fully dedicated staff member who runs our IE Workshop Series on Inclusive Mentoring and Teaching Practices for our COS faculty every year and also helps to organize and implement many other DEI-related events and programs, such as faculty, staff, and student DEI workshops and seminars, bias training for new faculty search committees, and DEI book clubs within COS. In addition, the IE Program Manager supports our DEI student programs, such as COS ALANA and the LGBTQ+ Affinity group COS-LISC.
It is the students—whether high school or college level—that Hudson loves to see succeed. At RIT, he has served as a mentor in the Men of Color, Honor and Ambition (MOCHA) program, Pillars of Hope Outreach Initiative and he and his College of Science colleagues are active with the RIT-Rochester Prep Capstone Program. In his classroom, he says teaching the fundamental science principles is as important as encouraging students to take ownership of all aspects of their academic career.
If you ask him what his overall message of encouragement is for his students, Hudson goes back to the reggae singer and songwriter he often turns to for inspiration.
“I would refer back to a quote from Bob Marley in the song, “Rat Race” he states, “In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty” meaning that we are surrounded by resources, but it is up to us, to find, leverage these resource to grow. This is a message I often share with our scholars with respect to self-accountability.
Self-accountability. Message received.