Confronting Racism Initiative

November 2020 Update

Our Confronting Racism initiative, draws on a framework and committees addressing Teaching and Learning, Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Environment, Partnerships and Impact.

Our first update features the work of the committee on Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Environment.

Inclusive Environments Committee Removes Barriers, Develops Strategies

The Committee on Creating a Diverse & Inclusive Environment, comprised of McCourt School faculty, staff, students, and alumni, have convened a number of times since the summer of 2020 to discuss major themes related to creating a more inclusive McCourt.

The Committee moved quickly to remove a potential barrier to admission to the McCourt School for prospective students: allowing students to waive the standardized testing requirement.*

The group drafted a strategic document outlining their initial recommendations, organized into short, medium, and long term goals, including:

Short Term Strategies:

• Host “Having Difficult Conversations” workshops with faculty, staff, and returning students
• Analyze the relationship between student GPA and performance in McCourt’s quantitative courses  
• Develop list of free resources to advertise faculty and staff positions to increase diversity of applicants
• Create more transparency around application waiver fees and provide waiver fee “coupons” for students attending specific recruiting events

Medium Term Strategies:

• Host semesterly Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workshops for faculty and staff
• Develop a “McCourt Climate Assessment” to gauge current state of diversity at McCourt and develop baseline for next steps

Long Term Strategies:

• Increase marketing efforts to recruit a more diverse student body

The committee continues to work to move these strategies forward and consider additional ways to create a more inclusive and equitable environment. 

*The McCourt School will suspend the requirement for standardized testing for one year and measure its effectiveness as a strategy for recruiting a more diverse class of students.

Confronting Racism Committees Move Forward on Multiple Fronts

The Partnerships Committee began its work examining key current strategic partnerships at the McCourt School– including National Urban Fellows, Howard University, and Lead for America. 

The Teaching & Learning Committee is building their work on the strengths of McCourt Foundations, the McCourt School’s new experiential learning orientation program for students. 

The Impacts Committee developed and completed a survey of McCourt School faculty and alumni, to better understand the current research and practice landscape within the McCourt community, and identify activities to highlight, and areas for potential for collaboration. Stay tuned for more on what they learned in our next update!