Diversity And Diversity Case Study Summary

On Thursday afternoon, Professor Harriet N. Brown held a press conference at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications regarding the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion’s Final Report, which was released earlier this month.

Brown was one of 23 members in the Chancellor’s workgroup, which consisted of Syracuse University students, faculty and administration. The group met for four to six hours a week, since October, with the goal of creating a list of recommendations for the dean to make Syracuse University a more diverse and inclusive place.

The workgroup talked to people of all constituencies ranging from LGBTQ issues, to accessibility issues. The group talked with anyone willing to share, or that they felt added something of importance to the conversation.

“What we were basically hearing about is times when the university failed people in someway. Failed students, failed staff, failed faculty, failed to be as diverse and welcoming and inclusive as it could be.”

Brown explained that the group was given “a very vague and wide ranging sort of charge and we weren't really given any instructions, except that the chancellor wanted some concrete things that we would recommend that could in fact make a difference.”

The committee was limited only by the intention of producing a readable document. Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services Director, and ADA Coordinator, Aaron Hodukavich, said “We wanted students to really read this, we couldn't have it be like, 300 recommendations. Probably everybody had things the liked to see on there that had to be left out, but over all we were all very satisfied with what we ended up with”

Brown explained the structure of the final report, which they chose to split in three categories, that were further broke into long-term and short-term goal: Institutional Commitment; Faculty, Staff, and Student Education; and Full