University DEI Councils
All across the University, division- and college-level diversity, equity and inclusion councils meet regularly to discuss opportunities for improvement and growth within their area. The chairs of these councils unite for monthly meetings as part of the University Equity and Inclusive Excellence Council. Together, we'll make Bucknell a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place.
2023 DEI Councils
Current chair:
Jen Kentera (jk069@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Created goals and a plan for continuity of leadership and membership
- Held monthly call-to-action meetings with staff and students
- Helped to support a new two-year partnership with the Institute for Sport and Social Justice, where coaches, support staff and administrators will participate in three training sessions each year
Current co-chairs:
Anjalee Hutchinson (adn001@bucknell.edu)
Adrian Mulligan (amulliga@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Met with consulting firm regarding assessment of public safety
- Launched Anti-Racist Pedagogy Learning Community and affiliated MLK Week event for spring 2022
- Researched postdoc to tenure track programs at other institutions to inform the emerging program at Bucknell
Current co-chairs:
Erin Jablonski (ejablons@bucknell.edu)
Laura Beninati (mlb041@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Created a "State of the College" report for the Working Group for an Inclusive Engineering Community
- Crafted our Moonshot Case for Support
- Made plans to make our EXCELerator program at least double in size
- Developed proposal for the postdoc to tenure track fellow program, with the goal of recruiting and retaining a more diverse engineering faculty
- Launched “Taking the Pulse” and “What would I say?” qualitative story collection for students
- Opened the new Engineering Success Alliance space in Dana EngineeringEquitable Experiences: Started the update on MyBucknell to include faculty/staff resources on the College of Engineering page
Current chair:
Tom Lydon (t.lydon@bucknell.edu)Mission statement: The Division of Communications embodies in its work the University’s strategic commitment to building and sustaining a diverse community. Our goal is to create an environment in which all students, faculty and staff experience a sense of belonging supported by a foundation of inclusion, equity and access. Our commitment to these principles underlies all Bucknell communications, in all media, with the University’s myriad audiences, as well as our daily interactions with people in our community. In our partnerships with one another and members of our community, we recognize and prioritize not only our goals and intent but also our work’s impact to ensure that all are respected, fairly treated and authentically portrayed.
Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Held Division-wide viewing of the film CODA
- Hosted a conversation with Jocelyne Scott on land acknowledgment statements and how they impact Bucknell University
- Hosted discussion on the 2022 common reading novel, They Called Us Enemy
- Discussed updates to campus signage, specifically nameplates related to ADA and preferred pronoun inclusion
Current co-chairs:
Becca Haupt Aldredge (rch032@bucknell.edu)
Lee Dawson (lad025@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Completed the 2021 Racial, Equity and Social Justice Challenge
- Developed a comprehensive enrollment management diversity plan
- Hosted training and discussion opportunities, including a book club and monthly TALL (Talk, Acknowledge, Listen, Learn) Talk discussions for staff to come together to discuss any current event or other related DEI topics
- Implemented a bimonthly DEI Newsletter put together by the council
Current co-chairs:
Victor Udo (vu002@bucknell.edu)
Lori Wilson (lwilson@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Formed council and set expectations
- Sent out a climate survey to both divisions, with results currently under review
Current chair:
Marcia Cooney (mjc025@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Charging talent acquisition specialists to continue to work with faculty and staff search committees, with a goal of having all search committee members attend the proactive search strategies training before serving on a committee
- Initiated several training programs over the past few months that specifically address biases when conducting performance reviews. This training was also provided to the HR Roundtable and will be continued for other groups of front-line supervisors going forward
- Updated staff reviews to include a question specifically focused on diversity, equity and inclusion
- Added a specific question related to DEI to the exit survey provided to all staff who resign voluntarily
Current co-chairs:
Gerald Beauvais (gb024@bucknell.edu)
Carrie Pirmann (cmp016@bucknell.edu)Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Held book discussions on The Privileged Poor by Anthony Abraham Jack and The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Attended Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues, a Linkedin Learning course
- Took active bystander training
- Added a LIT Student Employee DEI & Customer Service course in Moodle
- Reviewed workgroup policy, procedure and practice
- Rewrote DEI question for performance reviews that was adopted by HR
- Developed an internal LIT dashboard for communication and information (Ground Rules for Diversity Discussions)
Current chair:
Emily Dietrich (edietric@bucknell.edu)Mission statement: In partnership with the Vice President of University Advancement and the Advancement Leadership Group (ALG), the UA DEI Council develops and leads current and future diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of the University Advancement Division of Bucknell University and is aligned with the Plan for Bucknell 2025. The purpose of the Council is to promote positive organizational improvement through inclusion -- and provide advice, leadership, accountability and participatory support on matters related to equity, diversity and inclusion on behalf of the organization. The key objective of the UA DEI Council is to fully utilize and engage every stakeholder (internal and external) to strategically build a more integrated and sustainable diverse and inclusive environment - where everyone involved has a sense of belonging both within our division and Bucknell as a whole. The UA DEI Council will develop activities that are aligned with the division’s vision of diversity, equity and inclusion, especially as it relates to People & Culture, Education and Partnership & Engagement while leaving space for future initiatives. Goals will be tracked utilizing a variety of data points to ensure accountability and continue momentum of the Council.
Recent activities and accomplishments:
- Collaborated with UA leadership on Sense of Belonging survey for the entire division, with an ongoing initiative to review themes from responses
- Partnered with UA SERVE Committee to find ways to engage colleagues in educational programs
- Collaborated with UA Enrichment Conference planning co-chairs to provide DEI sessions over a three-day conference (Jan. 11-13)