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New Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer Sees Inclusion As A Group Effort

Alicia Richardson, Hartwick’s new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer, knows there is more than her experience and degree that make up who she is on campus.

“We’ve been socialized to do your job and just leave at the end of the day,” she said. “But the radical move is to bring your entire self to your work. I am a daughter, aunt, sister and a friend. Those parts of me impact who I am and the work that I do.”

Richardson previously served as the interim chief diversity officer at SUNY Schenectady County Community College. 

Alicia Richardson, Hartwick COLLEGE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING (DEIB) OFFICER

I have to challenge the social norms that have been ingrained. I’m the one who asks, ‘why is that the norm? Have you considered how inequitable or harmful that norm might be?’ And sometimes, people don’t want to hear that.

She also taught writing and literature at Schenectady for ten years, focusing on diverse voices, liberation, social justice and black joy. “When I was in school, there was no discussion of black life outside of struggle, suffering and pain,” she said. “I wanted to show my students that there was more to the experiences of Black people in this country.”

Now at Hartwick, she’s focused on creating a strategic plan to help the College develop and achieve goals specific to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging on campus. This would include strategies to retain students from marginalized groups, retain and recruit students, and create opportunities for dialogue on campus regarding the issues of diversity and inclusion.

“Our strategic plan will be the road map we follow,” she said. “It’s hard to get to a destination if you have no idea what’s between you and getting there, but having a clear plan allows you to weave that path to your destination.”

She is currently on a “listening tour” of the College, meeting with students, staff and faculty to begin developing the strategic plan. 

“Hartwick has done a good job of communicating their mission and values via FlightPath,” she said. “The DEIB Strategic plan will communicate clear goals and the strategies the campus community will use to achieve them.”

She continued, “This is a group effort. I can’t be in this boat rowing alone. We will successfully achieve our DEIB goals if the boat is filled with others rowing in the same direction.”

April 5, 2023
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