Campus Update - On final day of classes

Dear UAlbany Community:

As we wind down the spring semester and focus on planning for the fall semester and beyond, the University at Albany continues to expand its engagement and service to our state and our communities in response to COVID-19. Just this week, we opened an antibody testing site in the SEFCU Arena, which will administer tests for state employees who are first responders.

In addition, our School of Public Health will serve an important role in the state’s COVID-19 contact tracing initiative, lending significant expertise to the critical mission of tracking the spread of the virus.

UAlbany will continue to seek new ways to help in the fight against COVID-19, while also moving forward on projects that that are critical to our institutional priorities. One of those priorities, Diversity and Inclusion, was put to the test last fall. Several incidents demonstrated we have some work ahead of us to create a campus climate where everyone is welcome and truly feels welcome.

UAlbany has a longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—and over the years we’ve developed many programs, initiatives, and committees to put this value into action. However, we know that we need to do better.

Consequently, we created the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Task Force to examine UAlbany’s organizational structures, programs, and services in support of diversity and inclusion. The task force will create a comprehensive inventory of our grant programs, faculty cultural training competencies, inter-cultural student group trainings, and micro-aggression and implicit bias programming. It will also make recommendations about changes that will strengthen our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion, submitting a report to the President’s Executive Council by December 31, 2020.

While this is an incredibly busy and challenging time, we need to continue finding ways to enhance the student experience at UAlbany, as well as that of our faculty and staff. In fact, this work is essential to the University’s future as we focus on increased recruitment, retention, and student success.

On this last day of classes, I wish our students and faculty all the best as you complete the semester. I also hope you will join our virtual ONEUALBANY Graduation Celebration on Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m. This will be an important opportunity to come together and celebrate the success of both our students and our extraordinary campus community.
 

Go Great Danes!

Havidán Rodríguez
President