Message to the USC Community
From: Michael W. Quick, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
January 25, 2019
I write today to celebrate the success of our third annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Week, which was held Jan. 14-18 at the University Park Campus and the Health Sciences Campus.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Renée Smith-Maddox and Camille Gear Rich, USC hosted approximately 100 trainings, workshops, screenings, discussions, performances, and other events, all aimed at helping our community learn how we can better serve our students, and each other.
Events were open to USC faculty, staff, students, and – for the first time this year – alumni. You can check out the wide array of offerings. Also, check out the Facebook Live discussion featuring Renée and Camille.
Your feedback is essential as we begin planning for next year. If you participated in any of the sessions in any capacity, please take a moment to offer your thoughts. Your constructive feedback will help us improve as we become a national leader in embracing the inclusive spirit.
DEI Week 2019 would not have been possible without the united efforts of people, teams, departments, and schools across the university. Events like this take months to plan. On behalf of Renée and Camille, I want to thank all the presenters, facilitators, and trainers for their work in guiding us forward, and I also want to thank everybody listed here.
As our Strategic Plan states, diversity, equity and inclusion makes cultures, societies, and communities stronger. The more we are open to honest conversations, difficult though they sometimes are, and the more we learn from them and the more we act on them, the stronger we are – as individuals and as a university community.
Cc: Wanda Austin
Academic Senate
Academic Deans
President’s Cabinet
Provost’s Cabinet