Making Hartwick more inclusive isn’t just a job for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. It’s a job for everyone.
“The only way to have true movement is to move together. It has to be campus-wide.”
Alicia Richardson
Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging Officer
To this end, former President Darren Reisberg created the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee (DEIBC), and charged it with developing DEIB terminology, promoting inclusive pedagogical practices, making recommendations that support the elimination of hiring barriers and recruiting employees with diverse backgrounds, and developing training for both the campus community and external partners.
The committee was also tasked with providing the president with an annual report detailing recommendations for incorporating these practices.
“Darren’s goal was to prioritize inclusion on campus and create a unified conversation around DEIB,” said Richardson. “These weren’t just one-off ideas. These were strategic and thoughtful plans to develop goals and move the campus forward.”
In addition to Richardson, the committee is co-chaired by Tessa Yang, assistant professor of English.
Members include:
With committee working groups focused on the campus environment, teaching and learning, and community and partnerships, members of each group will develop goals in their specific areas.
According to Richardson, a full plan will be brought before the committee for review and shared with the campus community for feedback in the spring. A final draft will be presented to Interim President James Mullen and the Hartwick College Board of Trustees for review.
“One of the aims of this committee is to have a cohesive approach to DEIB at Hartwick,” said Yang. “We’ve had individual initiatives in pockets – admissions, athletics, the classroom – but this committee allows us to bring together a big picture view on an institutional level.”
In additon to conferring degrees to students, President’s Medals for Extraordinary and Exemplary Loyalty to the College will be presented to Kathleen Fallon ’88 and Colleen Connery ’83.
The day welcomed more than 100 first-time donors, an encouraging sign of growing engagement and a strengthening culture of philanthropy across the Hartwick community.