by Rick Koubek, President
Dear Students,
On December 9, the University Senate, a representative body for faculty and staff, passed resolution number 41-21 Embodying University Values: Condemning Hate Speech, White Supremacy, and Ethnically and Racially Motivated Intolerance. Last Friday, January 22, a University Senate constituent who is a tenured faculty member submitted a letter to the Senate in response. By now, I know many of you are aware of this letter and feel hurt, concerned, and disappointed.
To all students: I want to boldly emphasize to you that Michigan Tech condemns discrimination and racism in all their ugly forms, including ableism, homophobia, sexism, anti-Semitism, white supremacy, and xenophobia. I delivered this message at the Board of Trustees public forum in December, and I will continue to share and amplify it because I firmly believe it. We can only be a great institution with a truly welcoming and inclusive campus.
Over the past few days, many of you have reached out to me and other faculty and staff members expressing your concerns. As president of Michigan Tech, I apologize to those of you who have been hurt and I want you to know that it’s important to me that you feel safe, valued, and heard here at Michigan Tech.
When I joined the Michigan Tech family in 2018, we put forth a series of Tech Forward initiatives. Recognizing that we need to work together to improve our campus climate, one of these initiatives is focused on diversity and inclusion. Since then, we have been taking action and making continued investments in this area. Dr. Wayne Gersie, our Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, now serves on the President’s Council, and we’re in the process of developing a strategic plan regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion that will involve every single department on campus.
And, because everyone plays a role in advancing our campus climate, I also want to note some excellent resources currently available on campus to all faculty, staff, and students:
- Michigan Tech Social Justice Lecture Series
- Michigan Tech Safe Place Training
- The ADVANCE Initiative at Michigan Tech
Again, please know that discrimination, racism, and hate have no home at Michigan Tech. Thank you to those who have shared your concerns, and those who have engaged in dialogues, even when they are uncomfortable. We’re proud to have each of you as a student, and I look forward to working together as we make our campus even more inclusive.
Sincerely,
Rick Koubek
President