Our strategic plan states that the D'Amore-McKim School of Business is committed to creating the next generation of principled leaders and thinkers by “recognizing the importance of lifelong learning, values, diversity, gender equality, tone, and a culture of inclusiveness.” We take this commitment seriously as we strive to create an inclusive economy where all have the opportunity to succeed. This requires our community to do all we can to ensure an environment where everyone has the opportunity to develop and use their talents to advance themselves and our world.
We are working to ensure we have strong resources dedicated to this effort. I have a few exciting things to share about some recent efforts to widen the scope of this work at D'Amore-McKim.
- Associate Professor of Management and Organizational Development Marla Baskerville has agreed to serve as D'Amore-McKim's Chief Diversity Officer. She is reporting directly to me and will advise the Dean's Cabinet leadership team and me on matters of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. She will have a particular emphasis on faculty issues, including recruiting, retention, promotion, and interactions with students and staff. She will also be an active and engaged representative of D'Amore-McKim's diversity, inclusion, and belonging efforts at the college and university level. Marla is an award-winning teacher whose research and teaching interests include diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and she brings significant passion and expertise to this new role. We are thrilled that she's willing to take on this challenge, and I'm confident that we'll be able to make further progress with Marla's contributions.
- Nearly a year ago, we formed a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Council comprised of both faculty and staff within D'Amore-McKim. The Council serves the school as an advisor and champion on these issues related to students, faculty, and staff. Its primary goals and objectives include identifying strategies for enhancing diversity, embedding it into our curriculum, sharing content for building awareness, and increasing accountability and transparency for our entire community. They have already made great strides in these areas that will be impactful this academic year and beyond.
- We are also very proud of our Office of Student Engagement, Affinity, and Inclusion's success, led by Heather Hauck. Over the last few years, these efforts have focused on undergraduate students, including the Building Belonging Fellows program, Women in Finance, the P.A.C. Mentorship Program, and now the Hajim Scholars Program. The team behind this work is now part of the Dean's Office and will be working to find ways to expand these efforts to all students at D'Amore-McKim.
We have much work to do, but I'm excited about what the future holds. These three independent endeavors focus on different audiences and aspects of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, but they will also interact often so that we can strategically further our overall goals in this area. Their efforts are imperative as we work to ensure all D'Amore-McKim faculty, staff, and students are included and feel they belong as members of our teaching and learning community. In the end, this can only help us advance our mission of excellence in teaching, research, and lifelong learning.
Emery Trahan
Interim Dean
D'Amore-McKim School of Business