Excerpt from message sent to campus 5/4/2016
Diversity & Inclusion Plan Task Force. I have established the Diversity & Inclusion Plan Task Force charged with leading the development of a draft Campus Diversity and Inclusion Plan. The co-chairs of the 21-member task force are Rita Celariste (Assistant Director of the Educational Opportunity Program) and Professor Reynolds Scott-Childress (History) whose research and teaching have focused on the history of race as a social structure and broaching these difficult issues with students.
The task force (members listed below) is composed primarily of volunteers and nominees who came forward in response to my solicitation of interest several weeks ago. This diverse group includes students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni. Members were selected to assemble expertise and capability in the intellectual grounding of this work, in strategic thinking, in strong teamwork and demonstrated community commitment, and experience to deal with legal, human resources, and related elements of diversity, inclusion, and equity. They represent diverse interests, backgrounds, orientations, values, experiences, and parts of the university, but are expected to contribute to this work beyond “representing” a particular dimension of diversity or intersectionality. The success and inclusion of all members of our community must be at the core of the plan and our planning.
The draft campus plan that the task force will develop is expected to:
- build on the many current efforts and programs at New Paltz;
- be informed by broad consultation with the campus community early in the fall semester;
- fulfill SUNY and best-practice expectations for sound plans.
The task force will meet before the end of this semester, begin its work during the summer, and gather input from the campus community on essential elements of the plan during September 2016. The task force will complete a draft plan for administrative review by October 15, 2016. Following review, the draft will be discussed with the task force and revised as warranted. After my final approval, the plan will be submitted for SUNY review by the November 1, 2016 deadline.
The full charge to the task force will be available for your review on the Diversity website; that charge includes background and timeline, SUNY requirements for Diversity & Inclusion plans, and some of my expectations for the process. The SUNY Campus Guide for Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan Development (provided in March 2016) provides a clear framework for our campus plan and a roadmap for your work, also will be available on the Diversity website, along with additional resources that are informing the work of the task force.
Members of the task force are:
Note: Task Force is no longer active.
- Rita Celariste, Assistant Director, Educational Opportunity Program (co-chair)
- Reynolds Scott-Childress, Assistant Professor, History Department (co-chair)
- Niza Cardona, Director, Student Accounts
- Christopher Farrington, Student
- Nazareth Garrido-McNair, Student
- Kenneth Goldstein, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Theatre Arts
- Azer Khan, Student
- Lisa Kozlowski, Human Resources Assistant, Human Resources
- Julie Majak, Assistant Vice President for Administration
- John McEnrue, Director of Facilities Design and Construction
- Tanhena Pacheco Dunn, Executive Director of Campus Climate and Compliance, Chief Diversity Officer-designate
- Andrea Paredes, Student
- Jessica Purcell, Advisor, Educational Opportunity Program
- Connie Perdreau, Director, English as a Second Language, International Programs
- Steven Posada, Alumni Relations Officer and New Paltz alumnus
- Elizabeth Reyes, Transfer Advisor, Undergraduate Admissions
- Mary Ritayik, Deputy Chief, University Police Department
- Rebecca Rodriguez, Coordinator, Institute for Disaster Mental Health
- Anne Roschelle, Professor, Sociology
- Jonathan Rust, Associate Professor, Psychology
- Anthony Winn, Sr. Staff Assistant and Adjunct Lecturer, Black Studies; Chair, Alumni Council
