<img class="wp-image-116206" style="width: 150px;" src="https://www.sage.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image-004.jpg" alt=""> A Letter from President Ames

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Russell Sage College

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coalition at Russell Sage College

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coalition at Russell Sage College is a committee comprised of students, faculty, and staff representing members of the college community. The committee recognizes that its overarching goal is to foster and create a more inclusive and supportive climate across the college.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion reflects the context in which Russell Sage College operates. The Coalition acknowledges that to fulfill its vision, it must understand and embrace the full diversity of the communities it serves and respond to the societal realities that affect us all.

Inspired to give your time, talent, and/or treasure to the DEI efforts of Russell Sage College?

Contact Geoff Miller,
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
[email protected]
518-244-4720

Priority 1

Growing our leadership on inclusive teaching and scholarship in relation to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.

Priority 2

Increasing access and success for under-represented and marginalized populations

Priority 3

Continuously build upon a campus climate
where everyone feels welcome, supported, included, and valued.

Priority 4

Attract, recruit, support and develop a diverse community inclusive of all students faculty, and staff.

Priority 5

Develop an institutional infrastructure to drive change.

2022– 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan

Progress Report Year 1 of 3

For details on goals, strategies, and results for priorities 1 through 5, click the button below to view the final report.

DEI Annual Report

A Note from Geoff Miller, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Currently, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a term that has gained more attention and urgency in recent years due to increased awareness of systemic biases and discrimination faced by marginalized communities.

Many organizations and institutions have implemented DEI initiatives to address these issues and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Russell Sage College, DEI refers to the principles of promoting diversity, ensuring equity, and creating an inclusive environment in many aspects of life at Sage, such as in the classrooms and libraries, in the dorms, on the fields, through the offices, and in social settings. Our vision is one that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential components of a rich intellectual and cultural environment in which all members are given the opportunity to reach their full potential as active participants in our local and global society.

The good progress and work reported in this document you are about to experience comes on the shoulders of our previous director Barbara Cockfield. In her tenure, Barbara was able to mobilize the Sage community and develop a strategic plan that carefully detailed the steps necessary to help Sage be a place for all people. All year long, the DEI Coalition worked to implement the first year of our 3-year strategic plan. It is with great pleasure that I share the accomplishments of the plan with you.

DEI can still be polarizing in 2023, as some individuals and groups may perceive it as an attack on their beliefs or a form of discrimination. We at Russell Sage College understand that there may be disagreements on the best approaches to achieve DEI, but we are committed to creating brave spaces built on respect which will allow differences to be valued while promoting a more just and equitable world.

In Unity,
Geoff Miller
he/him
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The attached report details the vitality of community activities conducted in support of our commitment to embrace “diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential components of a rich intellectual and cultural environment in which all members are given the opportunity to reach their full potential as active participants in our local and global society.” It represents a successful year of progress on our strategic plan led by Geoff Miller, our Director of
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and supported by the DEI Coalition.

More importantly, the work has been welcomed and supported across the campus and across our multiple constituencies. Creating a more equitable and just culture is serious and wide-ranging work, but it can also be fulfilling and joyous. Russell Sage College’s deepening investment in promoting a culture that welcomes everyone comes at an important time in which DEI efforts have come under fire. In signing a bill to ban funding of DEI efforts in public universities in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis characterized DEI as “discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.” That’s an unfortunate and uninformed caricature that underscores the need for good information about the positive contributions of DEI work in promoting a healthier culture for everyone.

In that vein, we were proud to host honorary degree recipient Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. as speaker at Russell Sage College’s 2023 commencement ceremony. Glaude is the chair of African American Studies at Princeton and one of the most prominent writers and commentators on race in America. In his work, he stresses the urgency of confronting the inequities and prejudices ingrained in our history and our present. In his address to graduates, he urged them not to passively accept the world as it is but to dare to confront injustice and envision a better world.

Our work at Russell Sage proceeds in the same spirit, and we are committed to building community understanding of, support for, and participation in DEI efforts. By working with our different constituencies—students, faculty and staff—we are collaborating, not indoctrinating, and including, not excluding.

I’m gratified by the spirit I see on the Sage campuses and the work that has been accomplished. And I am optimistic about what the future holds for bringing us closer to achieving our vision of a “campus that supports an optimal learning and working environment for all students, alumni, faculty, administrators, and staff.”

Best,
Christopher Ames
President, Russell Sage College

The Coalition will…

foster a supportive climate for diversity across the college
assess Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that are currently in place.
undertake a campus climate project that will include a DEI climate assessment and will develop a timeline for implementation.
create a DEI Strategic Plan which will be a blueprint to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, and create a transformative, innovative, and inclusive institution.
be diligent in creating programming for the campus community which will include promoting a safe and positive climate that is accepting, respectful, and welcoming for constituents of all identities.
implement a two-way communications plan that will keep campus constituencies informed about the work and charge of the task force and keep the task force informed about the campus climate, especially with respect to issues related to students.
develop comprehensive strategies for attracting and retaining diverse students, faculty, and staff members.
establish an inclusive learning and work environment through effective policies and practices and curriculum and pedagogical approaches.

2023-2024 DEI Coalition Members and Faculty Liaisons

RSC DEI Vision Statement

Russell Sage College embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential components of a rich intellectual and cultural environment in which all members are given the opportunity to reach their full potential as active participants in our local and global society. We realize that the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion is an evolution that moves us towards our aspirations of a culturally inclusive community. The understanding we gain, as we continually assess our institution, will create informed and intentional transformation.

Russell Sage College is committed to developing policies and programs to create a campus that supports an optimal learning and working environment for all students, alumnae/i, faculty, administrators, and staff.

DEI Coalition Members

DEI Faculty Liaisons