As I have also shared elsewhere, William Paterson will participate in the Equity Institute through the USC Race and Equity Center, in which a group of twenty senior staff and faculty members will participate in training that identifies and addresses the challenges that undermine racial equity on our campus. They will then be able to share this knowledge with colleagues and help ensure that it guides our policies, practices, and procedures.
The President’s Diversity Lecture and our participation in the Race and Equity Center Equity Institute are just two of several new diversity and inclusion initiatives at William Paterson this year, which also include the formation of a standing Council for Equity and Justice and a Community Dialogue Series. I want to thank David Jones, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Talent Management, and Yolany Gonell, Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and the Black Cultural Center, and everyone else who has been involved in doing great work to launch these important initiatives.
More on Dr. Shaun Harper
Dr. Harper’s research focuses primarily on race, gender, and other dimensions of equity in an array of organizational contexts, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporations. He has published 12 books about higher education and over 100 other academic publications. His research has been cited in more than 15,000 published studies across a vast array of academic fields and disciplines. Atlantic Philanthropies and the Bill & Melinda Gates, Lumina, Ford, Kellogg, College Futures, Kresge, and Open Society Foundations have awarded him more than $16 million in grants.
The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, and several thousand other news outlets have quoted Professor Harper and featured his research. He has interviewed on CNN, ESPN, and NPR. He also has testified twice to the United States House of Representatives and spoken at numerous White House convenings. Dr. Harper served on President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Advisory Council. California Governor Gavin Newsome recently appointed him to a task force on racial equity, higher education, and COVID-19 recovery.
The recipient of dozens of top honors in his field and one honorary doctorate, Professor Harper has been repeatedly recognized in Education Week as one of the 10 most influential scholars in the field of education.
I hope you can join us for what promises to be an engaging and informative lecture and discussion, which I’m sure will help advance the cause of racial equity on our campus.
