How We Are Advancing the RIT Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity | October 2022
A lot of careful, deliberate work is already underway by the RIT community on the RIT Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity.
RIT is meeting many of the broad initiatives under Pillar I which focuses on “Leadership, Culture, and Communication.” Examples include the President’s Cabinet meeting at the CITY Art Space downtown and Together RIT: A Day of Understanding, Solidarity and Racial Reconciliation program coming up October 21st.
Progress is also being made for Pillar II and Pillar III. They address African American, Latino American (LATINX), Native American (AALANA) Student Enrollment and Success and faculty and staff recruitment, retention and advancement.
The Division of Diversity and Inclusion continues to focus on conveying RIT’s diversity story.
We are asking RIT leaders to share with us just a bit of what they are doing to advance the RIT Action Plan for Race and Ethnicity. Here is RIT Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Ellen Granberg:
Update on Activity with Howard University:
RIT has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Howard University signed earlier this year. Since then, administrators and faculty have begun reaching out to their counterparts to identify areas of mutual interest that have the potential to develop into significant partnerships. The work started with a meet-and-greet for faculty with research interests in semi-conductors. Faculty from Howard traveled to RIT to participate in a planning workshop and the team is now collaborating on a multi-university funding proposal for a National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center focused on microsystems. RIT Assistant Provost and Assistant Vice President for Faculty Diversity and Recruitment, Donathan Brown and his team also traveled to Howard as a part of their national recruitment campaign. Opportunities for additional student and faculty exchanges are being explored in several colleges including College of Science, College of Art and Design, and College of Liberal Arts. Special thanks is due to Trustee Andrew Jacobson who was instrumental in engaging both institutions in discussion.
Faculty Senate Work on the Action Plan for Diversity Equity and Inclusion:
RIT’s Faculty Senate has been deeply engaged in helping to move RIT’s culture towards greater diversity and inclusivity. Two years ago the senate unanimously approved the creation of a new standing committee on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The senate is working on several initiatives directly related to the plan including opportunities to diversify RIT’s curriculum, improving the recruitment and retention of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds, and assessing equity in committee and service assignments.