Student Experience & Programs Subcommittee

Committee Charge

The President’s Advisory Council on Race was established to help guide the university's progress in realizing the ideals of equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice in its educational, research, and engagement missions. The Advisory Council made ten recommendations related to improving pipeline programs, student recruitment, admissions, retention, and graduation that are intended to combat racism and dismantle structural barriers to inequality. These recommendations were based on student feedback, input from key stakeholder offices, institutional data, and research on best practices and successful programming at peer AAU, APLU, and MAC institutions. The recommendations were presented and discussed, along with recommendations in other critical areas, in a university-wide town hall meeting.

The subcommittee on Student Experience and Programs is charged with reviewing these ten recommendations for successful implementation. Specifically, the subcommittee will

  • engage stakeholders to identify offices and units that will be responsible for implementation;
  • develop an understanding of initiatives currently underway that address the goals of particular recommendations;
  • identify critical barriers (including cultural barriers) to successful implementation, assess the nature of those barriers, and propose solutions;
  • propose measures and data necessary to assess whether desired improvements are being made;
  • develop specific recommendations that would have widespread support across the university and could begin to be implemented immediately;
  • frame recommendations within requirements stemming from applicable curriculum, state, SUNY, accreditation, and similar policies and guidelines; and
  • recommend roles and responsibilities for each recommendation.

In reviewing these recommendations, the subcommittee should attend to both the particular and shared needs of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The subcommittee may decide to propose supplemental recommendations that would advance the broader goals of the President’s Advisory Council on Race.

Committee Membership

  • Brian F. Hamluk, Co-Chair, Vice President for Student Life
  • Lee H. Melvin, Co-Chair, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
  • Kevin Ahuna, Director of Intercultural and Diversity Center, Student Life
  • Thikriat Al-Jewair, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Associate Professor of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine
  • Matthew Ardila-Weigand, Director of Orientation, Transition, and Parent Programs, Student Life
  • Kelly Cruttenden, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance, Division of Athletics
  • Janessa Givens-Daniels, Senior Associate Director, Financial Aid
  • Benjamin Fabian, Assistant Director for Student Support, Conduct and Advocacy & Head of LGBTQ + FSA, Student Conduct and Advocacy
  • Keith Griffler, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Africana and American Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Jennifer Harris, Senior Counselor, Educational Opportunity Center
  • Anyango Kamina, Assistant Dean for Student Development and Academic Enhancement, iSEED Scientific Workforce Specialist, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
  • Arlene Kaukus, Director of Career Design Center
  • Sung Eun Kim-Kubiak, Psychologist, Assistant Director/Training Director, Counseling Services
  • Jennifer Mdurvwa, Graduate Enrollment Coordinator, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Sharon Mitchell, Senior Director, Student Wellness; Director, Counseling Services, Student Life
  • Erin O’Brien, Assistant Dean, Chief Marketing & Enrollment Officer, School of Management
  • Amy Reynolds, Professor of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education
  • Barbara Ricotta, Dean of Students, Associate Vice President, Student Life
  • Betsy Rodriguez, Director of UB’s Arthur O. Eve Education Opportunity Program
  • Amanda Sauter, Senior Prehealth Academic Advisor, Coordinator, Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center
  • Tom Tiberi, Director of Campus Living
  • Camilo Trumper, Associate Professor of History, College of Arts and Sciences
  • Katie Tudini, Assistant Vice Provost and Director, International Student Services