The Council was established in August 2016 and on November 1, 2016, held its first meeting. The Council is comprised of faculty, staff, administrators, and students. The Council’s initial charge was to serve as a sounding board for the president and the campus community. Over time, the Council has taken a lead role in advancing our efforts to remain an inclusive and welcoming university by identifying and addressing concerns of diversity and inclusion. The Council provides support for student retention efforts, educational programming, crisis communications, and campus climate research.
Membership
Faculty
Nicole Pulliam, Educational Counseling & Leadership
David Ford, Professional Counseling
Julia M. Riordan-Goncalves, World Languages & Cultures
Kiameesha Evans, Health Studies (Program for Gender and Intersectionality Studies (PGIS) Representative)
Bill Gorman, History and Anthropology (Faculty Council Representative)
Staff
Marco Cabrera, Facilities
Amy Arlequin, Assistant Dean of Students
Lu-Ann Russell, Event and Conference Services
Nina Anderson, Human Resources
Michelle Resnick, Office of Disability Services
Claude Taylor, Center for Student Success/First To Fly
Jennifer Sansevero, University Athletics
Jennifer Steinke, Human Resources
Elizabeth O’Brien, Educational Opportunity Fund Program
Chris McKitrrick, Counseling and Prevention Services (Staff Council Representative)
Zaneta Rago-Craft, Intercultural Center/Advisor to the President for Diversity and Inclusion
The Charge of the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion is as follows:
- Identify, propose, and implement actions and initiatives that uphold and enhance the core values of the University and its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Expand on our ambitions for cultural diversity set forth in our strategic plan.
- Collaborate with the Office of Enrollment Management to ensure that the University is prepared to address the concerns of underrepresented students.
- Advise the president on various matters that support diversity and inclusion.
- Work collaboratively across the campus to address the concerns of underrepresented students and other marginalized populations.
- Support and recommend strategies to recruit underrepresented faculty and staff and aid in their retention.
Accomplishments
- Served as the steering committee for the dissemination and analysis of the University’s campus-wide climate study (Spring 2020)
- Researched and recommended the creation of the Monmouth University Intercultural Center.
- Recommended and worked closely with Marketing and Communication, Information Management, and Administrative Services to design and erect an interactive exhibit commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech on campus on October 6, 1966.
- Worked with the Office of the President to establish the University’s first Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Speaker in Social Justice Series, which will be featured annually. In October 2018, inaugural speaker was Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Associate Professor, African American Studies, Princeton University. Past speakers also include Raymond Santana (2020) and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (2021).
- Contributed to the goals established in the University retention plan.
- Served as an advisor on the creation of the First to Fly First Generation program, which started in Fall 2019.
- Led the expansion of Safe Zone training across campus to include administrative leaders in Academic Affairs.
Future Plans
- Commemoration of Julian Abele, the lead architect for the Great Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark
- Continue the dissemination of the Diversity Innovation Grant program, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, to promote and support programming and structural changes across the campus community.
- Continue to steer campus climate assessments on a four-year cycle