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4 min read

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By Daniel Greenstein

The work is hard, the road is long, but we must press forward.

As we make progress toward a public higher education system that is more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, we must also remain accountable and vigilant in order to protect those advances.

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is on a learning journey involving matters of race, like higher education institutions across the nation.

Let me be clear – this continent has seen 400 years of systemic racism, and while I wish I could end it tomorrow for everyone, progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusiveness requires the dedication and effort of so many people, myself included, within and beyond our campuses, banding together in shared purpose.

The promise of public higher education is that anyone in the Commonwealth – regardless of background or circumstance – can access life-changing post-secondary opportunities. I remain steadfast in a commitment that our State System and our redesign efforts will expand academic opportunities, improve affordability, and support all students, especially students of color who have historically been underserved.

To deliver this promise, we are taking action as we learn more. Our efforts begin by hearing the stories of students, faculty, and staff who experience our university communities as non-inclusive (even hostile) environments. Their voices must be heard, their needs acknowledged, their insights into remedial actions gleaned.

This journey turns next to data and accountability. We aim to close recruitment, retention, and graduation gaps between white students and students of color, and we invite the public to examine with us what the data say. At PASSHE.edu, anyone can look at how we’re doing all the way to the university level by reading our data dashboard.

We must hold up a mirror to ourselves so we cannot escape accountability on this issue. Doing nothing or using half measures is not a choice.

After welcoming one of the foremost experts on these matters in higher education, Dr. Denise Pearson, to serve as our first System vice chancellor and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, we began to assemble an infrastructure that is leading to swift, effective action.

Thanks to Dr. Pearson’s leadership, we’ve mounted a systemwide response to deal with issues of racist and hate speech that may arise on campuses. She’s regularly connecting our leaders and students on diversity, equity, and inclusion, helping them to collectively address matters, share insights, and develop solutions.

Dr. Pearson has been particularly encouraged by the many open and productive conversations she’s had with faculty, campus police, and community leaders committed to collaborating with the Office of DEI to advance the State System mission for all students.

We’re holding ourselves accountable through diversity training for students, faculty, staff, and administration. Cultural competencies can be taught, and research shows that success comes from organizations that commit themselves intentionally.

Our Board of Governors has been generously supportive of these efforts, and they recently launched a special commission to assist in identifying how it as the System’s governing body can advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through policy and governance.

We’ve also engaged extensively with elected state leaders, whose voices shape our understanding of what needs to be accomplished; leaders like Sen. Art Haywood and members of the state House Latino Affairs and Black caucuses chief among them.

Success is driven by efforts well beyond what the Office of the Chancellor alone can achieve. One tour of our university campuses will show how our schools are advancing through efforts like the creation of a new anti-racism institution; scholarships; free speech projects; and participation in national social justice efforts. And thanks to the leadership at Cheyney University, the only HBCU in the System, Cheyney is on a path toward success thanks to innovative public-private partnerships and other initiatives.

While I could go on, I do not wish to oversell these advancements.

Ours is a journey of dialogue, listening, action. The challenges before us are enormous, but I am an irrepressible optimist. While that optimism is often strained, I see the efforts our System is undertaking – how we lift each other up with unfaltering dedication – and I believe we can affect permanent change.

We must.

Daniel Greenstein is the chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, an institution of 14 public universities throughout the Commonwealth.

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