On January 14, 2022, the division of academic affairs hosted its annual college wide diversity and inclusion update. Fatima Rodriguez Johnson, associate dean, provided an overview of the work completed by all divisions of the college in 2020-21. Each vice president engages in discussions with their division and submits a racial equity operation that aligns with the six institutional priorities (community, curriculum/academic initiatives, educational programs, intersectional work, recruitment/retention, and training and skill building).
The highlights included:
- Sixty community partnerships, 25% support racial equity and/or provided programs and services to Black and Brown communities.
- An initial proposal for a Race & Ethnic Studies major was reviewed by the Academic Program Board (APB)
- Honors Program curricula changes, 2 Western Civilization courses were replaced with one English course and one philosophy course
- The college hosted 246 programs, 25 programs (10%) addressed race and/or racism
and 23 programs (9%) addressed intersectionality - ALANA* representation among faculty 11%, adjunct 8%, staff 15%, undergraduates 21.7%, and graduate 15.6%
- Draft of a Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Policy
- Approximately 150 employees and 400 students participated in workshops and/or skill building opportunities addressing race and/or racism
The complete update can be found on the Diversity & Inclusion Wiki Page.
The responsibility of the diversity and inclusion committee is to monitor institutional progress, identify gaps, and make recommendations. If you are interested in joining the committee, please Email rodrig23@canisius.edu.
*African American, Latinx, Asian, and Native American
Submitted by: Fatima Rodriguez Johnson, associate dean, Diversity & Inclusion
