The School of Public Affairs has been taking on new initiatives recently, in order to increase its diversity and inclusion. We're working very hard to recruit and retain, a more diverse student body within the school, to hire a diverse group of faculty and staff. We're working on revisions within the school in terms of coursework and descriptions. The atmosphere that we're really trying to cultivate is one that encourages dialogue. One that encourages an opportunity for students to feel that they are in a safe place, in order to engage in conversations, and sometimes conversations that can be uncomfortable. Whether it's based on ideas, your race, your gender, your disability status, being inclusive in SPA, means that people feel at home, and being able to celebrate the differences between us. We do have these really engaging, diverse and inclusive classes. Faculty who are actively engaged in these topics and that are excited, really excited to actually engage with the student body. And it's always amazing to walk into the master's classroom and to hear what motivates people to pursue a master's degree, and to be changemakers that they want to be, and figure out how to do that. I grew up in inner city Philly, and there was a lot of hardships. So being able to help people of underrepresented groups see me in this position, see me trying to do the work and see me trying to advance and being able to mentor those groups-- it matters. You know, because people want to see that people care, because if the people don't care, people can see through those things. So I do the work, not because I have to, because I care, and I want to be able to help people feel at home.
