NC State’s upcoming Racial Equity Summit on Oct. 15 is one of a series of focused, intentional initiatives proposed by Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Sheri Schwab in July 2020 in response to numerous national and local events calling for more to be done in the fight for racial justice.
The Summit invites community engagement and input from faculty, staff, students, community members and alumni into how NC State can address specific issues and common themes to improve racial equity at NC State and help ensure that NC State moves forward toward our vision of a more inclusive, diverse and welcoming community where all can succeed and thrive.
This year has seen a range of challenges for higher education; one challenge North Carolina State University accepts with gratitude is the movement toward anti-racism and racial equity. One key initiative we have is to host a Racial Equity Summit on October 15, 2020.
Our vision for the Racial Equity Summit is an interactive virtual event that intentionally and purposefully invites community engagement and input from faculty, staff, students, community members and alumni as to how NC State can actively improve racial equity at NC State. Through climate surveys and other resources, we have identified some specific areas for improvement. Through the contributions of our community via the Summit, NC State will seek ideas and strategies for how to move us closer to our vision of a more inclusive, diverse and welcoming community where all can participate, succeed and thrive.
— Chancellor Randy Woodson
The Summit will use the Appreciative Inquiry model, an approach that draws from positive psychology and storytelling to create an “alignment of strengths,” empowering individuals and facilitating the resolution of given problems to enact desired change.
Joretha Johnson, founder, Advanced Transformational Technologies, Inc. and member of NC State Chancellor’s African American Community Advisory Council, will lead a group of community teams selected to represent the university in advancing action toward the most critical issues facing NC State in regard to racial equity.
Participants represent undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, administrators, community members and alumni to help bring a wide array of experiences and ideas needed to move the university forward. If you are interested in participating in a future Summit, look for developing opportunities in the coming months. We also strongly encourage your participation in the upcoming UNC System Racial Equity Task Force Town Halls scheduled for October 2020.
- NC State’s Summit will take place concurrently with initiatives at the UNC System level. For the dates of both NC State’s and the UNC System’s planned events, please see the timeline.