Welcome from the CEC
The Council for Equity and Community (CEC) welcomes you to the 2017-2018 academic year.
The CEC is made up of colleagues, classmates, mentors and friends who share the goal of creating a more welcoming and inclusive Lehigh. We work to influence university culture and policy by encouraging conversation and collaboration on the wide range of issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The CEC is responsible for reviewing the results of the annual Lehigh Survey of campus climate and providing recommendations. The survey data for 2016 is now available online for all members of the Lehigh community to read: http://www.lehigh.edu/~inprv/communications/pubsreports.html#lehighsurvey. This summer, we hosted three workshops in which the Lehigh community discussed and sought solutions for the issues identified in the 2015 survey. We will host similar workshops for the results of the 2016 survey and hope you will participate. Each of us has a role to play in this work.
The Council also awards grants to Lehigh student organizations working to build a more inclusive Lehigh. Last academic year, we provided more than $12,000 in funding to develop programming through a selective process. Learn more about the CEC’s grant-making efforts and how to apply here: https://www1.lehigh.edu/diversity/cec/funding.
Recently, our membership met with Vice President for Equity and Community Donald A. Outing to affirm the CEC’s new role as an advisory group supporting the work of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity. Dr. Outing came to Lehigh in January from West Point to fill this newly created position dedicated to this important work, and we’re excited to align our work with his strategic vision for Lehigh.
We hope you had the opportunity to read President Simon’s letter to the Lehigh community regarding the recent tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia. We stand firmly with President Simon in recommitting to our shared values and in rejecting hatred, bigotry and intolerance. We ask you to join us in sustaining a welcoming and inclusive culture here at Lehigh. You can read President Simon’s statement here: https://www1.lehigh.edu/news/president-john-simons-statement-events-charlottesville.
We are pleased to be joined by newly elected tri-chair Liz Hill, Coordinator in Sociology and Anthropology, who replaces Lori McClaind in our leadership. Lori stepped down after several years of representing the Dean of Students Office on the CEC.
As the year progresses, you can stay updated on our events and activities by visiting our website, https://www1.lehigh.edu/diversity/cec, and our blog, http://cec.web.lehigh.edu/.
Best wishes for a successful and engaging semester.