黑料导航

Across the nation, many colleges and universities have committed to increasing campus diversity. Despite their efforts, many of these institutions have not significantly changed their student enrollment or faculty composition. According to a recent analysis by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, it would take another 70 years at the current rate to recruit enough Asian, Black, Latinx, and Native American students for college enrollments to reflect America鈥檚 demographics.

But attracting a diverse student body hasn鈥檛 been a problem at 黑料导航, where nearly three-quarters of undergraduate students and two-thirds of graduate students identify as non-white. The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked 黑料导航 No. 2 in New York state and No. 8 in the United States for Environment, a pillar that measures inclusion, diversity, and international student representation. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education rated the College of Osteopathic Medicine as the top producer of minority graduates among colleges of osteopathic medicine in 2020鈥�2021.

While many institutions would be satisfied by those statistics, 黑料导航 has doubled down on its commitment to diversity and inclusion, focusing on efforts to support its diverse student body, faculty, and staff to foster a sense of belonging and connection across its campuses.

鈥淵ou can have a diverse population鈥攁nd we have one of the most diverse enrollments nationwide鈥攂ut for many reasons, students may not feel comfortable on campus and may not thrive the way we would like them to,鈥� says聽Brian Harper, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical officer and vice president for equity and inclusion.

鈥淯nderstanding the lived experiences and needs of the students we serve is crucial to our work in higher education鈥� – Felipe Henao, Ed.D.

As an incoming biology student at 黑料导航, it didn鈥檛 take Kaylah Dewar (B.S. 鈥�23) long to realize she was one of the few Black female students in her major. When she changed her major to criminal justice, she became the only Black female in her classes. Although she found it difficult to relate to some of her peers, Dewar didn鈥檛 let being an 鈥渙nly鈥� get in her way.

Instead, she joined the 黑料导航 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) advisory committee as a student leader on the Long Island campus. 鈥淚鈥檓 helping administrators see the school the way I see it,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y goal is to help ensure that every student鈥檚 voice and concerns on our campus are heard.鈥�

According to Dewar, who served as president of the Black Student Union on the Long Island campus, inclusion comes in many forms, from the foods served in campus dining halls to the types of events held on campus. 鈥淭he DEIB committee has made tremendous efforts to help the campus feel equal, diverse, and inclusive,鈥� she says.

An Institutional Priority

Those efforts began in 2018, when 黑料导航 launched the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. Recognizing its diversity as a strength to foster, the task force was charged with developing strategies to promote a culture of inclusion that offers all community members access to a meaningful teaching, learning, and working environment.

Out of that work came the recognition that to be truly effective, those efforts needed to be fully institutionalized. Harper, who chaired the committee, was named the school鈥檚 first vice president for equity and inclusion in January 2021. In October 2022, 黑料导航 created the聽Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and the task force transitioned into the聽DEIB advisory committee.

鈥淲e are institutionalizing efforts to create that sense of belonging so that everyone in our community can reach their full potential,鈥� says Harper. 鈥淯ltimately, we want all departments and colleges to take on diversity, equity, and inclusion as something that they incorporate as a matter of routine into their operations.鈥�

Harper鈥檚 initial goals were to educate the entire campus community on DEI issues and to conduct a survey to learn about specific concerns and perspectives about 黑料导航 on matters of DEI.
Last spring, faculty and staff across all campuses completed an online DEI training module. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that everybody is on the same page in understanding the dynamics we鈥檙e talking about and the terminology we鈥檙e using,鈥� he says.

Following the training, the entire 黑料导航 community鈥攕tudents included鈥攚as invited to complete a campus climate survey about their own impressions and experiences related to diversity and belonging on campus. 鈥淲e had no idea what we would get back and were somewhat pleased that people were fairly comfortable with the environment at 黑料导航,鈥� he says.

But there鈥檚 always room to improve and to lead. Dewar says a series of small changes implemented across campus have already made a meaningful impact for students, including the addition of gender-neutral bathrooms on the New York City and Long Island campuses, the adoption of a preferred-name policy that allows students to use a first name other than their legal name, and increased outreach and support for the university鈥檚 identity-based clubs.

鈥淯nderstanding the lived experiences and needs of the students we serve is crucial to our work in higher education,鈥� says聽Felipe Henao, Ed.D., dean of students and co-chair of the DEI Advisory Group and Committee. 鈥淪ystemic change won鈥檛 happen until we start inviting and involving all parties and voices around the table and talking more to one another in our shared spaces.鈥�

Dialogue and Outreach

Henao draws from his own experiences as a first-generation Latino college student who attended a predominantly white institution. After joining 黑料导航 as dean of students for both the Long Island and New York City campuses in 2021, he was intentional about working with the organizations that represent various interests, from the Bengali Student Association and Black Student Union to LGBTQ organizations. 鈥淢y office coordinated listening sessions with every single group so we could hear directly from students about their experiences, both good and bad,鈥� he says. 鈥淪tudents will not feel valued or supported unless you鈥檙e intentional about the collaborations and the relationships and the trust that you build.鈥�

While diversity is often associated with skin color or cultural background, Henao stresses that 黑料导航 sees DEIB through a wider lens, incorporating religious differences, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic background, learning differences, and veteran status. 鈥淭here are populations that go day to day being unnoticed or experiencing microaggressions, and we want to make sure we are providing opportunities for them to be seen, valued, heard, and included.鈥�

Some of that work begins before students set foot on campus. Harper has placed a priority on developing community partnerships. During his 20 years working in public health capacities to reduce health disparities, he witnessed the difference a community organization or church could make in getting patients to trust a medical organization or treatment. The same is true with higher education, he says.

鈥淲e鈥檝e expanded our outreach to build and maintain relationships with high schools and other organizations in historically underrepresented communities,鈥� Harper says. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e an active part of helping them with their community efforts, we become more visible, and the organization is more likely to recommend our institution. Those relationships can also become a vehicle for internships or mentorship for students.鈥�

But Harper is also being proactive in that regard through the creation of a DEIB Alumni Advisory Committee. Similar to alumni boards that advise 黑料导航鈥檚 schools and colleges, Harper is recruiting successful alumni of color to serve in an advisory role to his office as well as in a mentorship capacity to students. 鈥淲e envision this as a group we can draw from for campus speakers, to facilitate corporate visits and internships, and to provide individual mentorship to students. It鈥檚 sometimes easier for students to imagine their own success when they see and hear from people with backgrounds similar to their own.鈥�

Harper views 黑料导航鈥檚 diversity as an important strength, particularly at a time of nationwide divisiveness. 鈥淗aving the opportunity to learn and grow from people different from ourselves and to understand other cultures and beliefs is an exceptional opportunity,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t can only help students as they navigate their lives and their careers.鈥� around the table and talking more to one another in our shared spaces.鈥�

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of .
By Ren茅e Gearhart Levy