A Letter from Dr. Kahan Sablo, Dean of Inclusive Excellence

Dear Bardians, 

Welcome to the second year of the Diversity@Bard Newsletter. It has been my honor to serve as your Dean of Inclusive Excellence thus far, and I am happy to welcome DEI Program Coordinator Haron Atkinson to the team. As an institution, we should be proud of the many DEI accomplishments that have occurred over the past year. However, there is still more work to be done both nationally and locally.

We all gasped a sigh of relief in the tripartite guilty verdict confirming the murder of George Floyd. However, the incarceration of Derek Chauvin did nothing to ease the present-day fears of Black and Brown citizens encountering a law enforcement system whose origins trace back to 17th-century slave patrols. But efforts to strengthen police/community relations continue.

We are reviewing survey data gathered about Bardian interactions with community law enforcement personnel. This information was collected in support of Executive Order 203 - New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, a gubernatorial directive requiring municipalities to strengthen lines of communication between law enforcement and the citizens they are charged to protect and serve. With the police jurisdictions of Red Hook, Kingston, Rhinebeck, Ulster County, and Dutchess County all submitting reports in compliance with the Governor’s order, we remain optimistic that Executive Order 203 is the beginning of vital dialogue with community law enforcement.

The January insurrection at the Nation’s Capital was fueled by unfounded claims of a stolen presidential election. From the gerrymandering of voting districts to the removal of mailboxes from Black and Brown neighborhoods, local communities must be vigilant about defending the right to vote. However, voter suppression attempts are not limited to conservative southern states. They are alive and well in our local community. 

Bard College celebrates the hard work of our Center for Civic Engagement and all the individuals who persevered through ongoing legal challenges to maintain a campus polling location. Creating barriers that hinder liberal arts student access to polls is a true threat to democracy. The best way to honor the efforts of those who have fought hard to ensure and preserve your right to vote is to cast an informed ballot at every election. #BardVotes.

Throughout history, access to education remains the best weapon against injustice. Over the past year, faculty have participated in the Academic Program Inclusion Challenge in record numbers, even as they have redoubled efforts to recruit colleagues who contribute to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on campus. 

This fall, Bard College welcomed the most diverse cadre of faculty to its classrooms in the history of the institution. One-third of tenure-track faculty appointed over the past five years identify as Black, Hispanic, and/or Indigenous. This aligns with the Office of the Dean of the College’s introduction of inclusive search workshops and, by faculty action, adoption of training for all faculty search committee members, starting in 2020–21. Beginning this fall, student participants in faculty searches also receive this training as part of their work in the recruitment process. 

The Center for Faculty and Curricular Development, working groups in the four divisions, Associate Dean of the College Dr. Michael Sadowski, and I have all focused on creating well-attended seminars and retreats on inclusive pedagogy, inclusive syllabi, “call-in culture,” and in-service trainings for navigating difficult conversations and sensitive readings. 

The Office of the Dean of the College, in collaboration with the Lifetime Learning Institute, has funded more than $10,000 in Academic Inclusion Grants this semester. These grants are intended to support work in academic programs that advances the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Projects range from speaker series to interdivisional workshops to funding for student participation in cultural events in New York City and elsewhere. Projects funded this semester were in Anthropology, Arabic, Architecture, Dance, History, Literature, Middle Eastern Studies, Photography, Theater and Performance, and Written Arts/Experimental Humanities, with several additional project applications pending.

Regarding cocurricular learning, an intentional commitment was made to honor national cultural celebrations this semester, including National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), National Native American Heritage Month (November), and Transgender Awareness Week (November 13–20). The celebration of these communities is not an annual event, as we celebrate and benefit from their contributions on a daily basis. These national celebrations are the culmination of a year of cultural expression. Therefore, please assist in honoring the legacy of these communities by sharing planned activities on the campus calendar, specifically tagging the programs as DEI activities. 

As we pivot toward an even greater spring semester, we look forward to your programmatic and/or financial contributions to Black History Month (February), Women’s History Month (March), Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May), and LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June). Also, in support of greater academic collaborations across the globe, the Fourth Annual Difference and Justice Symposium will again be a virtual event. The call for proposals will be released on December 10, 2021, with program proposals due April 1, 2022. Everyone should plan to participate in this phenomenal academic experience on April 22, 2021. 


Sincerely,

Dr. Kahan Sablo
Dean of Inclusive Excellence