President Tuajuanda C. Jordan along with four colleagues in higher education administration presented, “Preserving Inclusion Work in Polarized Environments: A Case Study” and led a group discussion during the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) held this year in Washington D.C., January 17 to 19. AAC&U is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education.
The presentation on inclusion work uses a case study developed by members of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) — of which President Jordan is the current president. Participants in the session will contrast the values argument for explicitly focused Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work with the "instrumental approach” favored now in some states in which all boats are supposed to rise. The question posed in the presentation is “how to move forward with support for BILPOC student populations in such regulatory environments.”
“As institutions address the challenges associated with navigating the politically-motivated DEI morass in which we find ourselves, they must return to their institutional values and let those serve as the beacon of light to educate their students and prepare a community where everyone will feel empowered to learn, think, speak and act,” Jordan said.
This theme will also be discussed in a session for college and university presidents this summer at the COPLAC Summer Summit 2024 “Democratizing Opportunity: The Power of the Liberal Arts,” scheduled to begin June 9 at St. Mary’s College.
