From the desk of CEO Rob McCarron
And just like that it’s September! It’s my sincere hope you had a wonderful summer, which included being away from the office to recharge and spend time with family and friends.
The return of students to campuses across the Commonwealth this academic year feels particularly significant; it’s the first “normal” return since the fall of 2019 and the onset of the pandemic. It’s a most welcome sight to see campuses come alive. There is palpable excitement in the air; I can feel it in my own hometown, host to two AICU Mass campuses. The return of the 270,000 students who attend private colleges and universities in Massachusetts is significant not just for campuses but for the surrounding communities and the entire Commonwealth. These students, along with the talented faculty, staff and researchers, are at the core of one of Massachusetts most treasured assets and form the backbone of the Massachusetts economy.
As the year unfolds, AICU Mass will continue to make progress on important initiatives we launched last year:
• A mental health crisis is gripping our country’s youth, and colleges and universities are striving to do more to support their students. Last year AICU Mass began facilitating a dialog on this critical topic. What we know is there isn’t an easy solution to address the challenges, and colleges and universities cannot go it alone. This is a public health emergency that will require the support of elected officials and the business community. Currently we are advocating for funding to support various mental health initiatives (details in the Legislative Update below). We are also convening a mental health summit in November to continue this important dialogue.
• Our Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) task force continues to support work across all of our campuses to be inclusive in every dimension. Three priorities emerged from the JEDI task force: creating professional development opportunities for faculty and staff of color; supporting programs to increase supplier diversity and spend; and providing tools to better gauge the current climate on campuses through survey data. I’m pleased to report we made great strides on all fronts, including:
o Forming a partnership with Supplier.io, a leading provider of a supplier diversity platform and databases, to help our members increase spending with diverse suppliers.
o Launching our Inclusive Leadership Program, with an initial cohort of 119 participants across 54 institutions. Meeting once a month, the program engaged in-depth on topics such as emotional intelligence, individual and institutional leadership, identifying the skills required to effect organizational change, and self-care and coaching for inclusive leaders. We are excited to launch our second cohort in January 2023.
o Through a partnership with Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys, AICU Mass members will be able to administer affordable, comprehensive surveys that collect data which helps campuses understand current experiences and perceptions of all individuals on campus to support an environment where everyone feels safe, welcome and valued.
• Building upon our progress, this year we will incorporate bias response best practices and restorative justice into our programming. In addition to sharing best practices, we are working on professional development for DE&I and compliance officers on bias & climate response teams.
As we delve into this important work together, I am sincerely pleased to welcome new presidents to our AICU Mass community:
Michael Elliot, Amherst College; Gregory S. Weiner (interim), Assumption University; Kenneth Elmore, Dean College; Mary K. Boyd, Emmanuel College; Beverly Daniel Tatum (interim), Mount Holyoke College; Clea Andreadis (interim), Urban College of Boston; and Winston Oluwole “Wole” Soboyejo (interim), Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Last, I would also like to welcome Dr. Noe Ortega, who has been selected as the next Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education. Dr. Ortega, a former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, will replace current DHE Commissioner, Dr. Carlos Santiago, later this month. In addition to welcoming Dr. Ortega, I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Carlos for the collaborative spirit that has been the hallmark of his work in Massachusetts over the past 10 years advancing higher education policies.
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