New Brunswick Strategic Planning Process

February 23, 2021

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,

Last month, Senior Vice President for Equity Dr. Branch sent an email to the university community announcing the launch of Rutgers’ diversity strategic planning process. This process is a way for the university to assess where we are and what we will commit to in order to chart a more inclusive path forward. “The problem,” she wrote, “is not that higher education articulates a commitment to diversity and inclusion, but the problem is, oftentimes, it ends there.”

As Chancellor of Rutgers–New Brunswick, I want to reiterate my full support for this work and encourage our campus community to be active participants in the plan’s development so that, as a university, we move toward our goals of building an inclusive and beloved community.

To that end, I am pleased to announce the formation of a steering committee to guide Rutgers–New Brunswick’s diversity strategic planning efforts. Co-chairs have been selected to lead each of the university’s five priority areas: Recruit, Retain and Develop a Diverse Community; Promote Inclusive Scholarship and Teaching; Define Sustainable and Substantive Community Engagement; Build the Capacity of Leaders to Create Inclusive Climates; and Develop an Institutional Infrastructure to Drive Change. I thank them in advance for their work.

It is important, however, that the steering committee hear from all members of our campus community as the plan is taking shape. Please take a few minutes to complete the Diversity Strategic Planning Assessment Survey to help us better understand where we are now and what needs to change in order to build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Participation in the survey is confidential and is an initial opportunity to engage in this important work.

Finally, while development of a comprehensive diversity strategic plan is underway, resources have been developed to help guide our steps as a campus community and track our institutional progress, and self-learning guides are available that we can begin to use now.

I look forward to our collective efforts as we work to purposefully build a more inclusive university.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Molloy, Ph.D. (PHARM '77, GSNB '87)
Chancellor, Rutgers–New Brunswick