by Rick Koubek, President
Dear Faculty and Staff:
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. As I indicated at the December Board of Trustees meeting, they have no place on our campus. We can only be a truly great institution with a welcoming and inclusive community.
Michigan Tech’s University Senate provides a vital forum for discussing matters of importance to the University community. My thanks to the faculty and staff who contribute their time serving on the Senate.
On December 9, the University Senate passed resolution number 41-21. Last Friday, January 22, a constituent who is a tenured faculty member submitted a letter to the Senate in response. These documents have entered public dialogue both here and off campus.
Over the past several days, I have received communications from the University community expressing their concerns. As president, I apologize to those of you who have been hurt or offended. We are proud of the remarkable students, faculty and staff at Michigan Tech and are fortunate you have chosen MTU as your university home.
I have asked our CFO to lead development of a comprehensive career advancement program for staff, and planning is underway. Our Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and others are involved to assure our values of diversity and inclusion are embedded in the program.
Michigan Tech is fortunate to have the ADVANCE Initiative on our campus. MTU’s ADVANCE is a nationally recognized effort “committed to education and dialogue as critical activities in making equity and inclusion integral to faculty, student, and community life at Michigan Tech.” I encourage you to join me in using the valuable resources on their website and participate in upcoming workshops as they become available.
I also have asked our Provost to work in collaboration with the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and academic leaders across campus to develop specific diversity and inclusion action plans for each of their units.
Please help create an environment where all our students feel welcome.
Sincerely,
Rick Koubek
President