Action Steps Toward Achieving our DEIB Aspirations

Every single member of our Montclair State University community deserves to feel that their presence is appreciated and that they have full access to all of the opportunities that the University provides. Research shows that we rank high in perceptions of diversity, inclusion and belonging, but there is always more that we can do. At our Town Hall in August, I mentioned that we were taking tangible steps in this area, and I’m excited to share updates on what we are doing to build a comprehensive and strategic approach to enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) at Montclair.

Over the course of the fall semester, Dr. Ashante Connor and the cross-functional committee that I formed last year have been hosting sessions by college and division to discuss the themes that emerged from the survey and the focus groups conducted last academic year by Sova Solutions. To date there have been 13 robust discussions of the themes and insights gained from this climate assessment. These conversations have allowed us to delve more deeply, hear more voices and surface more perspectives. They are valuable, and they will continue into the spring semester.

To support our ongoing work, I have decided to create a new office dedicated to helping us achieve our aspirations: the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Institutional Equity (IE²). This new office will be distinct from the office that investigates complaints and ensures compliance with all laws and regulations governing conduct by faculty, staff and students. Both functions are vitally important, and this approach will ensure that both have the time and attention they deserve.

• IE² will be led by Dr. Connor, in the new role of Associate Vice President of Inclusive Excellence and Special Assistant to the President.
• Dr. Connor will report directly to me, and IE² will work in partnership with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders in a shared effort to advance Montclair’s strategic priorities.
• Dr. Connor will continue in her current role as Director of Equity and Title IX Coordinator reporting to David Vernon, Vice President for Human Resources, until a finalist is selected, when she will transition to her new role.
• Based on suggestions from the climate assessment survey and feedback, this critical compliance-focused role has been modified and will move from Human Resources to the University Counsel’s Office, and will report directly to Althea Broomfield-Michel. We will conduct a national search for a Director of Institutional Compliance Programs and Title IX. The opening has been posted on our careers website. Please share it with your network.

Furthermore, I will reconstitute the President’s Commission on Affirmative Action and Diversity (PCAAD), which has been on hiatus since September 2022 while we conducted the Campus Climate Assessment. Previously, this group was focused predominantly on complying with state and federal laws to fulfill our legal obligations. Now the commission will play a larger role. In partnership with Dr. Connor and under her leadership, the group will help set aspirational goals for equity and inclusion and encourage a shared effort to ensure that every area of the University is working together to produce results. To reflect this broader mandate, the commission will be renamed University Collaborative for Inclusivity and Equity.

Improving belonging across a large, multi-campus institution cannot happen overnight, nor is it the job of one individual, one department or one committee. It will take time and everyone’s involvement, and it will position Montclair to make a greater contribution to our students and our increasingly diverse nation.

Thank you for your participation and support, and please join me in congratulating Dr. Connor on her well-deserved promotion!