Dear MSP community,
Increasing transparency has been one of our institution’s goals. In that spirit, we would like to provide an update on the Institutional Equity and Anti-Racism Committee (IEARC).
Since its inception in 2020 by former President Fran Brown, the IEARC has strived to push our institution forward in the realm of DEI. The IEARC is an internal-facing institutional committee that is not program- or department-specific and invites faculty, staff, and student membership. The IEARC develops and leads DEI initiatives from a larger institutional perspective and provides recommendations to the administration.
IEARC Structural Racism Committee brought the “We Don’t Want Them” Exhibit to campus January 2024.
The IEARC committee has implemented multiple initiatives, which include (but are not limited to):
Created an institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
Implemented, analyzed, and disseminated information from the institution-wide climate survey
Planned and hosted faculty and staff annual professional development programming on DEI issues (e.g., professional development on microaggressions and how to respond to them)
Offered school-wide programming on DEI issues
Created a subcommittee to integrate the work of the Structural Racism Programming Group, dedicated to educating the community about structural/systemic issues, into the IEARC
Created a strategic plan that targets the institutional policies, curriculum, academic climate, retention/hiring/recruitment practices, and professional development (for students, staff, and faculty)
Conducted a close examination of the inclusivity of our institutional policies and presented recommendations to administration
These initiatives speak to MSP’s continued commitment to ensuring that everyone feels like they belong here at MSP. We Respect Every Person. Period. The IEARC plans to continue these initiatives and build upon them.
One of the main goals this academic year was to create a Land Acknowledgement Statement. As the committee went through the process, they decided to slow down, engage the Native American community, and establish a collaborative partnership. The decision to do this was to remain purposeful and genuine in our efforts to acknowledge the land that we occupy. This process will entail establishing an authentic relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Talks have started between the IEARC committee and a local Native American group to seek mutual partnership. With this collaboration, the IEARC hopes to establish a relationship where MSP is more involved in our local Native American communities.
Looking forward, there will be structural changes to the IEARC committee, with some of those changes already underway. For one, Dr. Danielle Balaghi will be stepping down as chair of the committee at the end of this academic year to focus on the needs of the doctoral program. Dr. Balaghi has been a key member of the IEARC since its inception and has chaired the IEARC for the last two years. We thank Dr. Balaghi for her dedication to this committee and our institutional values.
Even though the structure will change, our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion will continue fervently. We welcome your thoughts and ideas in the future as we look ahead to these structural changes and the directions we can take as an institution to meaningfully engage in DEI dialogue and initiatives.
Sincerely,
Institutional Equity and Anti-Racist Committee (IEARC)
- Danielle Balaghi, Chair
- Dana Erickson
- Carol Hanson
- Carrie Pyeatt
- Stephanie Swanberg
- Kinsey Tekiele
- Jana Thompkins
- Candi Wilson
