September 29, 2020 Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity at Baruch Dear Members of the Baruch Community, Since joining Baruch on July 1, I have been talking with and listening to members of the broader Baruch community, including our stakeholders, colleagues and friends, legislators, and supporters. It has been an eye-opening and incredibly informative process of getting to understand our strengths as well as areas we should strive to improve. The groups I talked to are diverse as well as rich in their perspectives. Some have direct, long-lasting interactions with us, and others have observed us from a distance. Yet, I hear a similar theme: The success of the Baruch community to provide opportunity to our largely underserved students, coupled with academic excellence comparable to any top institution in the land, is broadly admired. These conversations were enlightening and reaffirming at the same time. I have put the Task Force for the Future and other Baruch groups to work to help envision our new normal and to take advantage of the paradigm shift roiling higher education—including how we deliver Baruch’s mission with more flexibility and fluidity. That said, I also recognize that we have systemic and structural issues at Baruch that will require attention, including the need for financial resources and appropriate investment essential for our growth and to further enhance our quality and access. We are blessed with the devotion and strong support from the Baruch College Fund (BCF) and the growing commitment from our alumni. Diversity, inclusion, and equity at all levels of the College is another area that deserves our attention, as well as an opportunity to strive for improvement. So much good work aimed at recalibrating society, and mindsets, is already underway at Baruch, but we clearly have more work to do. In my June 4 message <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=uYKqWJkxpESSQm1AT0-gfA&ref_id=2dRcG4mPCkCWM3UQiU14mw> to the campus community as president-designate, I said that we need to follow through on our commitment to change with deeds, and I vowed to renew our commitment through actions. I am happy to report that we continue to make progress: * The deans of our three schools—David Birdsell at Marxe, Fenwick Huss at Zicklin, and Jessica Lang, interim dean at Weissman—have put forth a roadmap for faculty diversity through hiring: “Faculty Diversity and Hiring at Baruch College: Re-Thinking Process, Improving Outcomes.” (The draft document will be finalized and shared with the faculty shortly.) · The Presidential Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=Uq8IsNIYoUOwWqHT17AdSQ&ref_id=2dRcG4mPCkCWM3UQiU14mw> , stood up in February, is refocusing our effort on enhancing our diverse and respectful campus community. I will be seeking their counsel. · We continue to work with the faculty to reinvigorate the mission-critical areas of teaching and research in the Department of Black and Latino Studies with the guidance of Dr. Shelly Eversley <https://pmail.baruch.cuny.edu/PoliteMail/default.aspx?page=4DkchvFHmUq-0JH4e07u_A&ref_id=2dRcG4mPCkCWM3UQiU14mw> , interim chair since January. Baruch has a long legacy of leading innovation and social change. Let’s renew our commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity in our community as we move Baruch into the future. Thank you for being a part of this effort. Sincerely, S. David Wu President, Baruch College <> If you wish to unsubscribe from the BARUCH-STUDENTS-ANNOUNCEMENTS List, please send an E-mail to: "[log in to unmask]". Within the body of the text, only write the following: "SIGNOFF BARUCH-STUDENTS-ANNOUNCEMENTS".