MSCHE Pillars of Change
Over the course of its history, the identity of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) has been closely aligned with assuring trust and instilling confidence in higher education. As an institutional accreditor, the Commission prides itself on advocating for honest self-reflection that results in meaningful change at our institutions.Encouraging institutional change has never been more important than it is today, where institutional actions, policies, or procedures may reveal disparate impact on an increasingly diverse student population. For institutions that share the results of deep and thoughtful self-reflection, the Commission supports and applauds their efforts. Because the Commission recognizes that it holds an important voice and space within the higher education community, it has launched this podcast series to spotlight highly-effective institutional practices that have made a difference in the lives of our students through diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
MSCHE Pillars of Change
Episode 11 - John B. King, Jr., SUNY Chancellor
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MSCHE
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Season 4
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Episode 1
In the 11th episode of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Pillars of Change Podcast, Commissioner Havidán Rodríguez, President of SUNY at Albany, hosted John B. King, Jr., Chancellor of The State University of New York (SUNY) and former U.S. Secretary of Education within President Barack Obama's cabinet.
The two discussed the role of higher education in promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in today’s political climate, how leaders can communicate the value of increasing campus diversity, and SUNY’s greatest DEI challenges and opportunities.
SUNY is the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States, serving nearly 1.4 million students across 64 campuses.
With us, we are talking to John B. King, Jr., Chancellor of the State University of New York, also known as SUNY.
So chancellor, what role does higher education play in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion on campus and in our communities, and why is this work so important?
So how should education leaders respond to politicians and others when they question the value of increasing campus diversity?
I really do think that SUNY is becoming a national model in terms of this work for DEI. What do you attribute that success to, Chancellor?
Can you describe to the audience what are the benefits of these leadership institutes and the types of models that you're developing?
Chancellor, as you know, there's been, you know, talks and conversations about affirmative action since affirmative action was established.
With so much on their plate, with all these critical issues on our plates, your plate, my plate, the plate of presidents and chancellors across the country, why prioritize diversity?
What have been your greatest challenges, and maybe some of your greatest opportunities in advancing diversity across such a varied and diverse system?
SUNY’s strategic plan is made up of four pillars: student success, research and scholarship, economic development and upward mobility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. How do your goals around DEI relate to the other three goals?
As a national leader in higher education, do you have any final words of inspiration to all these folks in terms of, you know, how do we continue to deal and make progress and make continue to make contributions to our society to higher education?