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Tripathi joins SUNY event marking AAPI Heritage Month

A group of people including Chancellor King and UB President Tripathi seated around a table.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. (right side of table, third from right) and President Satish K. Tripathi (fourth from right) take part in a panel discussion on AAPI data disaggregation and student success. Photo: Courtesy of SUNY

UBNOW STAFF

Published June 2, 2023

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“As a global community of scholars, we at UB embrace the diverse viewpoints and cultural perspectives our AAPI students bring to our university, and we are dedicated to helping them succeed and thrive in their academic and professional pursuits. ”
President Satish K. Tripathi

President Satish K. Tripathi joined SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and other SUNY and state leaders at a meeting in Albany last week to mark Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and support AAPI data disaggregation and student success efforts at SUNY.

By this fall, SUNY will launch uniform data reporting standards at system administration and all state-operated campuses that will provide increased transparency among Asian subgroups by breaking down Asian American and Pacific Islander data by ethnic group. Subgroups include Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Native Hawaiian, Guamanian and Chamorro, and Samoan. The data will be regularly updated to capture the top 10 AAPI ethnic groups of the state’s population.

As of fall 2022, SUNY enrolled more than 30,000 AAPI students, representing 8.3% of the system’s total enrollment.

SUNY and state-operated campuses will also begin collecting disaggregated demographic data for students, faculty and staff with Hispanic origins and those who identify as LGBTQIA+.

“The term ‘Asian’ is a political construct and does not factor in the significant cultural and linguistic differences among various groups,” King said. “The disaggregation of data is important for student success and in shaping initiatives to foster belonging.

“As an institution dedicated to inclusivity and transparency, SUNY is proud to undertake this crucial task to ensure all our students, faculty and staff are properly represented.”

Tripathi joined other SUNY presidents, state officials and state legislators on a panel to discuss the AAPI data disaggregation and student success.

“As a global community of scholars, we at UB embrace the diverse viewpoints and cultural perspectives our AAPI students bring to our university, and we are dedicated to helping them succeed and thrive in their academic and professional pursuits,” Tripathi said. “Focusing on the success of the next generation of AAPI leaders has been a wonderful way to recognize Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and I was delighted to participate in these productive discussions with Chancellor King, my colleagues in SUNY, and New York State elected and government officials.”