06/30/2021
By Joseph Hartman

News from across the country and from our own communities continues to demonstrate the importance of clearly articulating our values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

At a recent retreat, nearly 150 members of the Council on Social Justice and Inclusion Task Force subcommittees met to identify the needs and next steps in our desire to build a more diverse and inclusive campus.

I am grateful for, and continue to be inspired by, the dedication of our task force volunteers and their commitment to this work. The priorities identified for supporting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) on campus included: establishing and broadly communicating defined values, a resourced DE&I office, a data repository, enhanced training/education, increased awareness and engagement across our campus community, and accountability for living up to our espoused values. I am happy to report on new developments and resources in the Provost’s office to advance our DE&I efforts.

First, it is my pleasure to announce the promotion of Leslie Wong to Dean of Equity and Inclusion in the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. In this expanded role, Dean Wong will oversee our DE&I initiatives that support students and continue to support faculty and staff that interact with students.

She will continue to guide the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and her office will now house the River Hawk Scholars Academy (RHSA), overseen by Associate Teaching Prof. Matthew Hurwitz. The RHSA will be expanded from a first-year program to support all first-generation undergraduates, including transfer students. We will add staff to support the programming in this office, while building on interconnections between RHSA, the DC-CAP Scholars Program, and River Hawk Rising Scholars. Furthermore, expansion of student and community resources through the LGBTQ+ Resource Center and the anticipated launch of the new Social Justice Center will enhance and unify these spaces on the third floor of University Crossing.

Second, we are proud to launch the UMass Lowell ADVANCE Office for Faculty Equity, which will build upon the success of the UML Making WAVES initiative, funded through the National Science Foundation, as well as new efforts identified by the Council on Social Justice and Inclusion task forces.

The newly formed office will support faculty development through hiring, onboarding and mentoring, building on programs like Faculty LAUNCH and the 50/50 Lectures, in addition to supporting bystander and other training/education opportunities. The initial year will focus on transitioning efforts from WAVES, which is in its final year, and developing the new, faculty-led office with staff support. The office will report to Vice Provost Julie Nash, and is one of a number of new initiatives to better support faculty, including a Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.

The recent promotions of Clara Reynolds to Associate Vice Chancellor for Equal Opportunity and Outreach and Diversity and Inclusion, Dean Wong to her new role, and the hiring of the Faculty Director of the ADVANCE Faculty Equity Office will all provide leadership and opportunities for cross collaboration for staff, students and faculty in all areas of DE&I.

While these new offices are critical to our furthering of an inclusive campus, the work is not theirs alone, and more initiatives from the task forces will follow. Meanwhile, it is imperative that we all commit ourselves to continue, through individual and collective efforts, to shape our culture and climate, deepen our campus impact and treat each other with respect and dignity.