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A Note from Dean Cancian

Welcome to the McCourt School of Public Policy’s Confronting Racism initiative.

In the summer of 2020, and in response to the protests and social unrest in the U.S. and around the world, the McCourt School redoubled our efforts to become a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist public policy school.  We launched our Confronting Racism initiative to help weave together and build on existing initiatives, and support a more comprehensive and strategic effort across the McCourt community.

In consultation with McCourt students, academic and research faculty, alumni and staff, we developed a framework that articulates our aspirations, our values, and our specific goals for confronting racism in our community. To advance these goals, we formed four committees: on teaching and learning, creating a more diverse and inclusive environment, partnerships, and impact. We will keep our community updated as this work takes shape.

To be sure, McCourt is already deeply engaged in efforts aimed at better understanding and addressing racism and inequality, as well as working to create a more inclusive community within the McCourt School. Members of our faculty are deeply engaged in research and teaching addressing racial justice, and many student organizations, and McCourt staff and students are also very engaged. But we still have a long way to go, and much more work to be done. 

Our aspiration is as ambitious as it is imperative: to be the most inclusive top public policy school in the world. To members of our community: help us strengthen this work by joining one of our four committees. To prospective McCourt students: join us as we strive to create the most inclusive community where racism has no place.

 

Maria Cancian

Dean, McCourt School of Public Policy

Confronting Racism Initiative: November 2020 Update