Gallaudet University Board of Trustees End-of-Year Message

Gallaudet University Board of Trustees Chair Heather Harker shares an end-of-year message to the campus community and other stakeholders.
Transcript:
HELLO!
THE YEAR 2015 HAS TURNED OUT TO BE AN HISTORIC ONE FOR GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY.
FOR THIS CAMPUS, THE SELECTION OF OUR 11TH AND FIRST DEAF WOMAN PRESIDENT, ROBERTA “BOBBI” CORDANO, HAS MADE 2015 MOMENTOUS.
WE WELCOME PRESIDENT-SELECT CORDANO TO THE CAMPUS AGAIN THIS WEEK. SHE’S ON CAMPUS FOR EIGHT DAYS TO MEET WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN ORDER TO FURTHER THE RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING PROCESS BEFORE SHE STARTS ON JANUARY 1.
FOR THE NATION, 2015 HAS ALSO BROUGHT AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF NATION ATTENTION TO ISSUES OF RACE, INCLUDING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, RELATED DIMENSIONS OF SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION, INCLUDING THOSE BASED ON SKIN COLOR, GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN, IMMIGRATION STATUS, AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION.
THROUGH NATIONAL AND LOCAL MEDIA, WE HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS ATTENTION HAS PROMPTED COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING GALLAUDET, TO REEXAMINE EQUITY, DIVERSITY, CONCERNS OF INCLUSION WITH GREATER CARE AND HIGHER EXPECTATIONS.
IN THE SPRING OF 2015, GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY HAS SEVERAL DIALOGUES ON “BLACK LIVES MATTER.” THIS INITIATED MANY CONVERSATIONS AND EFFORTS ACROSS CAMPUS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF RACE AND SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS NOTED THESE EFFORTS AND EXPRESSED CONCERN FOR THE CAMPUS CLIMATE. AND AS A RESULT OF THIS, WE DECIDED TO INITIATE THE DIALOGUE WITH PRESIDENT HURWITZ AND PRESIDENT-SELECT CORDANO. TOGETHER, WE AGREED THAT GALLAUDET DOES NEED TO CONTINUE AND BETTER ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACISM AND SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION HERE AT GALLAUDET. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS DECIDED THAT THIS TOPIC IS GOING TO BE A PRIORITY AT THE FEBRUARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING.
GALLAUDET’S FUTURE AND THE FUTURE OF THE UNITED STATES DEPENDS ON THE DISMANTLING AND INTERRUPTION OF SYSTEMS OF OPPRESSION THAT HAVE PRECLUDED ACCESS FOR ALL PEOPLE. BECAUSE OF OUR NATION’S RACIST PAST, WE MUST INTERRUPT AND DISMANTLE CONTINUING IMPACTS OF DISCRIMINATION. THIS REMAINS OUR COUNTRY’S GREATEST CHALLENGE. BECAUSE RACISM IS AN ISSUE THAT AFFECTS ALL OF US, IT REQUIRES COMMITMENT FROM EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US, BOTH ON CAMPUS AND BEYOND.
GALLAUDET’S PATH TO BUILDING AN AFFIRMING CAMPUS CLIMATE AND A MORE JUST ACADEMIC AND WORKPLACE COMMUNITY REQUIRES US TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW OUR IDENTITIES, OUR MULTIPLE IDENTITIES -BE IT RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, SEXUALITY, SECULAR AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND MANY OTHERS-HOW THEY INTERSECT. WE ARE NOT ONE OR THE OTHER, BUT WE ARE RATHER ONE OF MANY IDENTITIES. WITH THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, WE CAN DEEPEN OUR COLLECTIVE ENGAGEMENT IN DIALOGUE AND INFORMED ACTION TO EFFECT THE CHANGES NECESSARY. AND THESE ACTIONS, COLLECTIVELY, WILL HELP US CO-CREATE A BETTER FUTURE FOR GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY.
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WANTS TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THIS GREAT UNIVERSITY, THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD. WE ALSO THANK PRESIDENT HURWITZ FOR HIS DEDICATION TO GALLAUDET AND TO ENSURING THAT THE TRANSITION FROM HIS STEWARDSHIP TO THAT OF PRESIDENT-SELECT CORDANO IS A SMOOTH ONE.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS OVER THE UPCOMING WINTER BREAK, MAY THIS TIME FOR YOU BE ONE OF REJUVENATION. AFTER THE BREAK, LET US ALL RETURN TO CAMPUS, READY TO RECONNECT AND DISCOVER ANEW HOW WE AS GALLAUDET CAN CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE THE ONGOING POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CAMPUS AND THE WORLD, AS A SPACE THAT VALUES AND NOURISHES EACH INDIVIDUAL AS A WHOLE.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO, AND LOVE OF, GALLAUDET.