Faculty of Color Reception set for Sept. 18

The tradition of welcoming new faculty of color and honoring newly-promoted faculty of color will continue on Monday, Sept. 18, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Union South’s Varsity Hall. The campus community and public are invited to this free event.

Co-hosted by Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Patrick J. Sims and Professor Anja Wanner, chair of the University Committee, the annual Faculty of Color Reception is an opportunity to celebrate colleagues old and new and to network.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank will welcome and recognize the honored faculty members in a short program at 5:30 p.m. Deans of the university’s schools and colleges also will attend.

“Celebrating our faculty, particularly our faculty of color, is critical and this event is just one of the ways that my office partners with deans across campus to acknowledge the vibrant and diverse campus community we are trying to build,” says Sims, adding that the celebration of diversity does not happen in isolation. “We’re encouraging faculty honorees to bring a mentor or valued colleague to this reception, as well as invite their peers to come meet and network with faculty from other areas of campus they may not otherwise get to interact with on a regular basis.”

The event will honor 39 recently-promoted faculty of color and welcome 13 new faculty of color to campus.

“Our university has made clear, in its statement on diversity, that the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity are inextricably linked goals,” says Michael Bernard-Donals, vice provost for faculty and staff. “This reception provides the opportunity to celebrate members of our faculty whose dedication to these goals is made visible in their work on behalf of all of our students, who themselves come from a broad array of communities and backgrounds, as well as the larger community.”

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