Dear Members of the Campus Community,
I am writing this letter to follow up on the campus’s continuing efforts to “embrace
diverse people, ideas, and perspectives” to create “a vibrant learning and working
environment.” Those words, incorporated in our campus strategic plan 18 months ago, set
a standard to guide our actions. I want to share with you where we stand and where we
are heading to bring our words to life.
This semester we have been reminded yet again how much work remains to be done. A
series of racist, hateful, threatening acts outraged our community. On October 16, just
days later, hundreds of members of our community turned out at a Town Hall meeting to
show their personal commitment to change.
The Town Hall meeting had been scheduled weeks earlier as a forum to seek input in
developing the Campus Diversity Strategic Plan. However, it understandably became a
forum for our students of color and others to express their deep frustration, and even
anger, over what many speakers saw as a pattern of exclusion, insensitivity or even
hostility from other segments of the campus. While such incidents and feelings are not
unique to our campus (and our society in general), they call on us to re-examine
fundamentally our commitment and approach to diversity and inclusion. They demand
that we live up to the standard we have set for ourselves.
Today, I want to review steps we are taking to achieve this goal. Clearly, the work of the
Diversity Planning Steering Committee has become ever more urgent. Our campus has
long engaged in serious deliberations about diversity, equity and inclusion, and we have a
proud history of welcoming students from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, we have
addressed the issues through both formal and informal diversity plans created within the
past decade. Yet, in my opinion, previous efforts have not sufficiently engaged the entire
community and the various stakeholders in either developing or implementing these
plans. That is why the work of the Steering Committee is so important.
The deliberations of the Steering Committee will bring these issues to the core of campus
plans in a way we have not done before. And they will acknowledge the reality that our
work must be ongoing because each incoming cohort of students must engage and come
to terms with living and learning in a multicultural campus anew. As the Steering
Committee continues its work toward a report this semester, it is benefitting from the
strong interest and many personal statements in evidence at the Town Hall meeting and
across campus. You can follow the work of the Steering Committee at
http://www.umass.edu/chancellor/diversity, including the committee’s synthesis of issues
raised at the Town Hall meeting.
But even as the Steering Committee frames a comprehensive diversity strategy to present
to the larger community for review and discussion, we should not lose sight of the
opportunity to act quickly and decisively on some of our more pressing priorities. We
must especially find ways to create and sustain a campus climate where not only do
students from all segments of society achieve their fullest potential, but which also fulfills
the promise offered in the landmark Supreme Court case, Grutter v. Bollinger: "… a mix
of students with varying backgrounds and experiences who will respect and learn from
one another." For instance, we can and should take steps now to improve the recruitment
of under-represented minorities in the next admissions cycle (i.e., the class of 2019).
Building on the work of our faculty and student leaders and our academic leadership
team, and with the support of the Diversity Planning Steering Committee, I am pleased to
announce the following actions we are taking immediately for the purpose of affecting
the next admissions cycle:
• Establishment of a new position of assistant provost for diversity to increase our focus
on recruiting under-represented undergraduate students.
• An immediate increase in Community Scholarships for in-state, low-income or firstgeneration college attendees.
• Making philanthropic support for need-based scholarships an explicit priority during the
remainder of the UMass Rising campaign and beyond.
• Formation of a Graduate Student Diversity Task Force to recommend ways to improve
the recruitment, retention and degree completion of under-represented minority graduate
students.
These steps, and others to follow, will help build a more diverse community. At the same
time, we must be more effective in building a climate of respect and mutual learning.
Toward that end, under the leadership of Provost Newman and the Faculty Senate, the
effectiveness of the current diversity component of the General Education curriculum is
under review.
I am heartened by the ongoing discussions on multiculturalism in our community led by
our students, staff and faculty. More concrete actions will soon be forthcoming from
these deliberations coordinated through the Steering Committee. I invite the entire
campus community to stay engaged in this important dialog through the various forums
and through the Steering Committee website. Please take full advantage of resources
available through Student Affairs, Registered Student Organizations and the Center for
Teaching and Faculty Development to make our campus a model for inclusive
excellence.
With sincere appreciation for all you do to make UMass Amherst a destination of choice
for students, staff and faculty from all backgrounds,
Kumble Subbaswamy, Chancellor