Independent Advisory Panel to Return to Campus Monday, March 9, to Engage Students, Faculty and Staff

The Independent Advisory Panel, established by the Board of Trustees in conjunction with the Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion, will return to campus on Monday, March 9, to continue its engagement with students, faculty and staff. This is the latest visit for members of the advisory panel, which is composed of nationally recognized leaders in the fields of diversity, inclusion, safety and higher education.

They include:

• Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO, The Jewish Federations of North America; former president and CEO, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life; and former chancellor, the Ohio Board of Regents;
• Karol Mason, president, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and former assistant U.S. attorney general, Office of Justice Programs;
• Damon Williams, senior scholar and Innovation Fellow at Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin; founder of the Atlanta-based Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership and Social Innovation; and founding member of the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education; and
• Frank H. Wu, the William L. Prosser Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Hastings College of the Law (also former chancellor and dean); former faculty member, Howard University Law School; and former dean, Wayne State University Law School.

In December 2019, the Board of Trustees announced the establishment of the special committee to develop recommendations on programs, policies and initiatives to foster and strengthen diversity, accessibility and inclusion at the University. The advisory panel was charged with advising the special committee on these efforts and to review the existing framework at the University.

Last month, members of the advisory panel participated in more than 22 listening and dialogue sessions, during which much of the discussion focused on campus safety, residential life, communications and curriculum. As a result of those early conversations and informed–in part–by the work of the special committee and advisory panel, Chancellor Kent Syverud announced an independent, expedited review of our Department of Public Safety and an independent review of our Student Experience function.

These actions will be underway shortly while the advisory panel and special committee continue their work. This ongoing engagement will help inform the special committee’s recommendations to improve diversity and inclusion programs, policies and initiatives on campus. That report will be delivered later this spring.

To learn more about the special committee, the advisory panel and the progress toward advancing the commitments made to the campus community in November, visit Syracuse.edu/commitments.