The President’s Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion (PACDI) held its inaugural meeting for the 2023-24 academic year, marking the first under President Seifert’s administration and the initial in-person session since the onset of the COVID pandemic.Before the meeting, each lead from the 11 focus areas aimed at strengthening racial justice bonds at Siena College provided executive summaries of ongoing action items and progress. During the meeting, action leads highlighted key achievements and engaged in discussions with the more than two dozen community members present. The group was informed of progress in diverse student recruitment and initiatives aligned with the strategic goal of creating a broadly diverse community, while complying with the June 29 Supreme Court decision regarding t he use of race in college admissions.
Provost Maggie Madden reported on grants provided to 10 departments for curriculum development and recruiting and supporting diverse students. She also provided updates on the progress made toward developing more inclusive hiring practices and highlighted several retention initiatives. The PACDI received an update from Assistant Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Kelly O’Donnell on the Council of Administrators and Staff’s impactful October 12 training session led by Kyle Williams, chief empowerment officer of A Long Talk. Interim Director Fr. Roberto Serrano also shared details on several of the activities and events organized by The Damietta Cross-Cultural Center.
During the meeting, Dr. Seifert renewed his commitment to the College’s racial justice campaign and expressed a desire for more frequent PACDI meetings focusing on specific topics. He also shared a vision to utilize the PACDI to optimize college-wide diversity initiatives and eliminate redundancies.
As an outcome of the meeting, we will be identifying opportunities for the student affinity groups (BSU, LSA, GSA, MSA, etc.) to partner with Student Activities & Leadership Development on collaborative, larger-scale programming for diversity and cultural issues.