Princeton is absolutely a leader around diversity and inclusion.
Diversity is so important because we need so many more
diverse students, faculty, and staff here
that will not only enhance Princeton,
but help Princeton to continue to grow.
We have a president who "gets it",
we have senior leaders who "get it"
they understand that this is a priority
and there's been an incredible investment all across campus
towards this effort
because we know the importance of all members of our community
from students, to faculty, to staff,
to our alumni and visitors even
to feel that they are a part of a community that is caring,
that is inclusive, where they can be valued contributors
to the overall mission of excellence.
Princeton is so amazing at this moment because we are at a time
of a complete culture shift, and faculty, staff, and students
have an opportunity to be a part of that change, a part
of that growth, in a direction that is very much inclusive
of all communities of all people.
Given the 2013 trustee report on supporting diversity and
other initiatives that went along with that, that was
very attractive to me when I was looking at
employment potentially at Princeton.
The investments are visible on campus in terms of
staffing resources, deans for diversity in many offices,
centers that have been developed and grown.
It's a continuous effort.
There are about 7,000 students on campus if you include
undergrad and graduate students, and we have about
65 professionals whose full time job is to support
diversity and inclusion on campus.
It's not just a workplace, it's a community.
The people who work at the institution really
care about one another.
Staff, faculty, the students, they really want to make
this place something that is remarkable and unique
in its community. The way that it helps individuals
form relationships with one another.
I just think it's a vibrant place to work.
It's a place that's committed to excellence. It's committed to
honoring people, and bringing them forward
helping them to grow.
Princeton currently has ten employee resource groups
that support a wide array of different communities on campus.
We do a lot of consultation around a whole host of
diversity and inclusion matters, and support staff in thinking
about how to make Princeton a more equitable place to be,
and a more diverse place, really an inclusive place
for all staff.
Princeton has a lot of services and centers.
So we also have the Women's Center, the LGBT Center,
Davis International Center, the Center for Jewish Life, the
Office of Disability services, As well as
the Office of Religious Life, and the Carl Fields center.
We're working in populations of students that are more
diverse than we've ever seen in our history.
And we need to make sure that those students that come
from diverse backgrounds are well represented.
Institutions are in such a rush to check off what we're
trying to accomplish, and in that process really forget
the real fundamental reason why the communities exist, and
they're built and they exist on trust.
Tolerance is not enough to create community.
Respect, as wonderful as that is, is not enough.
Honoring and celebrating, including all, not maintaining
the majority and making a little bit of space to accommodate
those that are different, but actually having a space where
everyone has an equal stake in what it means to be
a Princetonian.
It's important to have dialog and discussion here on campus,
especially done in an environment that is
facilitated by peers.
It's important to provide that opportunity for students to
be able to explore, to be able to challenge themselves,
and further grow into who they are and really think about
their identity and not only of themselves but also how
they influence community.
Every single person is different, and disability
is just another type of difference.
The main purpose for the Office of Disability Services
is to be a place for students who have disabilities and
to talk with us about accommodations that may be
helpful to them in a classroom or in navigating campus.
It really warms my heart when I can see a student who has
overcome barriers and has then been able to take advantage
of the academic experiences here that will enable them
to make a difference in this world.
Princeton University is probably one of the most pluralistic
campuses in America when it comes to religious life.
It offers opportunities for worship, offers opportunities
for learning about one's faith or another person's faith.
There is not only a full time Muslim Chaplin and there is
also a full time Hindu Chaplin, and we have many different
Christian denominations, we have different sects within
Judaism represented. You can ask the tough questions and
no one will shun you for it. It aspires to be a place
where everyone can find a spiritual home.
I believe that diversity and inclusion and concepts around
social justice are not addition, it's not an add on
and it's not something extra, it's just who we are
and who we want our students to be, and what
we want them to know as we prepare to create leaders
for a global society.
I really admire that Princeton can acknowledge its shortcomings
as well as celebrate its accomplishments.
And when we acknowledge that we have work to do, we act.
And we lead in many of these areas in improving
the experiences that our students have, that our staff
and faculty have.
You know it's not only about making sure that our
institution is always keeping in mind what an ethical utopian
vision of itself would look like, but also that we're
creating the kinds of people and future leaders that can go out
in the world and make that change more broadly.
People have good intentions here.
They care about each other.
You feel that when you're on campus.
We all are responsible for the well-being of each other, and
if we live that we all raise each other up.
We have a responsible to grow,
to learn from the lessons of the past
and to be committed to that vibrant present and
translate it into a better future,
into a better Princeton, a brighter Princeton.