As announced in the Sept. 28 Message from the President email, diversity consultant Dr. William Lewis has provided Westfield State with his assessment report “The New Normal: Institutional Assessment and Recommendations for a Strategic Diversity Management Strategy.” The report, including recommendations gleaned from the many conversations Dr. Lewis had with students, faculty and staff during his week-long campus visit in the spring, provides a road map to strive for “Inclusion Every Day” at Westfield State.
To view Dr. Lewis’ report, click here.
“Our work won’t cease in the foreseeable future to bring about what Dr. Lewis characterizes as ‘Inclusion Every Day.’ Time, energy, and resources need to be identified and applied to create that culture,” wrote President Torrecilha in his September 28 email message to the campus community.
The recommendation of Dr. Lewis that will be acted upon most immediately is the creation of a diversity officer position to report directly to the assistant vice president for Human Resources within the newly named Office of Human Resources, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity.
Click here, to learn more about the reporting structure associated with the diversity officer position.
According to President Torrecilha, this change serves as a first step to ensure that the principles of inclusion are institutionalized and aims to inspire the necessary culture shift at Westfield State University. However, “more thoughtful and intentional work and investment will be required to strengthen our commitment to a more inclusive culture at Westfield State,” he said.