Advisory council on race to discuss recommendations at Community Dialogue

The President’s Advisory Council on Race will hold a Community Dialogue with UB faculty, staff and students on March 22 to discuss its recommendations to strengthen a culture at UB that thrives on the ideals of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice.

The virtual forum will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon via Zoom Webinar. Participants should register online and are encouraged to review the advisory council’s summary recommendations prior to the meeting.

Advisory council members will describe their research, how they determined benchmarks and their recommendations. Members of the campus community can ask questions and offer feedback on the recommendations by filling out this brief survey before the forum.

As a reaffirmation of UB's mission and values, President Satish K. Tripathi formed the advisory council last June in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and other men and women of color at the hands of police, and the nationwide protests that followed.

The charge of the advisory council, which consists of faculty and staff members, students and alumni, as well as Tripathi and Despina Stratigakos, vice provost for inclusive excellence, is to examine how UB can become more equitable in its policies, programs, activities and traditions.

The summary recommendations that will be discussed at the Community Dialogue fall into four broad categories: faculty and staff recruitment, hiring and retention; student recruitment, admissions, retention and graduation; curriculum and teaching; and community engagement.

In announcing the formation of the advisory council, Tripathi said its work will inform how UB can harness its tripartite mission of education, research and engagement to combat racism and dismantle structural barriers to equality.

“We know, as a university community, that we can effect change through the education of our students, our research, our creative work and our clinical care,” he said in an email to the UB community. “More than ever before, UB should serve as a bastion of hope and a community of action compelled by the greater good.

“As a scholarly community, it is imperative that we explore, understand and respond to racism and systemic inequality.”