St. Clair County Community College issued the following announcement June 25.
A new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has been created at St. Clair County Community College to advance the college’s efforts in providing educational access and support for all. As part of the enhanced focus, a national speaker series will be launched on campus to support diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness and action this fall.
The series will kick-off October 9 with Jen Fry, a nationally recognized social justice educator speaking on campus. Another initiative is a campus book discussion. The college has ordered several books suggested by Ms. Fry on topics of equity, white privilege, and racism which will be available for faculty and staff to read this summer and fall. Informal book discussion sessions will be coordinated on campus this fall through the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to foster understanding.
SC4 also will officially recognize Juneteenth, the commemoration of the emancipation of slaves after the Civil War, as a college holiday on June 19 each year.
“The trustees are very supportive of these efforts to ensure that the college is a place where all are welcomed to learn and grow,” said SC4 Board of Trustees chair Dr. Nicholas DeGrazia. “The new Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be instrumental as we continue toward our goals of growth, sustainability, and creating a stronger community that reflects the world we live in.”
Jessica Brown will lead the office as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and will work to develop a comprehensive and cross-functional emphasis on these critical issues at SC4. Brown has more than a decade of higher education experience, having worked previously at Davenport University, Rochester College, and Macomb Community College before joining the SC4 team in 2014. She has served as the director of the college’s TRIO Student Support Services program since September 2015. The program works with first-generation and other high-risk college students to support them throughout their college career and has been very successful in increasing student retention and graduation. She also is a member of SC4’s Global Diversity Advisory Council. Brown has Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Strategic Management degrees from Davenport University.
Original source can be found here.
Source: St. Clair County Community College
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