Strengthening Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice at The New School
A week ago today, we took a day of mourning and reflection because Black Lives Matter, and Black Lives Matter at The New School. We shared at the time that we would be taking additional steps to advance equity, inclusion, and social justice at our university.
Yesterday, we shared news about one of the ways we are elevating scholarship and research around this work: Professor Darrick Hamilton is returning to The New School and will direct a new Institute for the Study of Race, Stratification, and Political Economy. (Read more here.)
Today we write to share an additional step that will help to ensure principles of equity, inclusion, and social justice are guiding the highest levels of our institutional policy, planning, and programming. We are creating an Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (EISJ), led by Senior Vice President Melanie Hart. The Office will report directly to the President and be an integral part of the President’s Leadership Team. While it will begin on a small scale during this time of financial conservation, the office will focus on three areas:
- Advancing the recommendations from our campus climate assessment
- Leading policy development and improvements
- Organizing and promoting programming and training to foster EISJ education and a more diverse and inclusive university
As an initial offering to the community, on next Friday, June 19, the Office is organizing a recognition and reclamation day that will include a virtual teach-in, discussion sessions, and workshops for Juneteenth. The event schedule and registration will be available and open on the EISJ website on Monday, June 15.
A new website for the Office of EISJ provides an overview of its aims and approach. Again here, the site is only a beginning and will grow. We especially hope you will take a few minutes to view our video conversation about why the establishment of the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice is critical for The New School.
We look forward to expanding the conversation with many more voices within and beyond The New School community. To be clear: equity, inclusion, and social justice does not happen out of a single office; many individuals are actively engaging in initiatives, research, programming, and other work in the schools and colleges, faculty, student organizations, senates, and administrative areas. THANK YOU ALL. One of the aims of the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice is to find ways to connect, leverage, amplify, and align all of our collective efforts.
The work of EISJ is fundamentally important to our mission to educate students to be effective citizens and leaders in a globalized world. To be successful in this world requires us to address injustice and inequality, while we embrace differences, open ourselves to experiences and points of view that are different from our own, and approach all we do with a deep respect for humanity in all its diversity. We strive to model these ideals at The New School and to be a university where all are welcomed and supported to reach their fullest potential.
Onward!