By Emily Glory Peters
The year 2020 was a time of racial reckoning for many institutions in our country, and 61传媒 was no exception. In response to greater awareness about the need for institutions to more formally, actively, and strategically dismantle systemic racism, the College has recently scaled its own efforts on this front.
In addition to , 61传媒 has created the new position of associate dean of faculty for racial equity (ADRE), thanks in large part to a generous . This January, the College officially appointed Mary Hatcher-Skeers, professor of chemistry and Sidney J. Weinberg, Jr. Chair in Natural Sciences, to the position鈥攁 role she takes on with equal parts sobriety and hope.
鈥淚 was hesitant to apply at first because I felt there were other faculty who would be more suitable,鈥� says Hatcher-Skeers, 鈥渂ut my experience as faculty liason for First-Generation @ 61传媒and 61传媒 Academy provided opportunities to work closely with faculty, staff, and students navigating predominantly white institutions like ours,鈥� explains Hatcher-Skeers. 鈥淭hese interactions and my experience as faculty co-director of The Claremont College鈥檚 Center for Teaching and Learning have taught me a great deal about institutional racism and the best practices of antiracist pedagogy. That experience is what I want to bring to this role.鈥�
As the associate dean of faculty for racial equity, Hatcher-Skeers will identify and implement antiracism and equity goals at 61传媒by providing guidance on policies. She鈥檒l also serve as a thought partner for the president, dean of students, and other key members in College leadership.
鈥淔aculty have been talking about a role like this for a long time. The question was: How do we best use our internal expertise, knowledge of our community, and limited resources to accomplish big structural initiatives?鈥� she says. Now funded for a three-year term, the ADRE will have the 鈥渢eeth鈥� to transform talk of change into concrete practices.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a hunger among students and teachers alike to see tangible progress鈥攁nd they already have many brilliant ideas on how to make 61传媒more equitable,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 look forward to helping put these ideas into action.鈥�
While Hatcher-Skeers anticipates some juggling to prioritize those ideas, one focus is already clear: faculty diversification and retention.
鈥淩epresentation for our Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students is one of the best places to begin. One example is the recent tenure-track search in chemistry, where we鈥檝e consulted with many people about best practices to ensure a broad pool, and we鈥檙e excited about how these changes will increase diversity in a mainly white and male field. I would like to help other departments rethink their hiring and promotion practices to similar effect,鈥� she explains.
Retention is equally important. 鈥淭oo many colleges say 鈥榣et鈥檚 diversify!鈥� without putting support programs in place. I鈥檒l be working with different constituencies around campus to develop a culture that helps BIPOC faculty and students feel welcomed and supported,鈥� she says.
That鈥檚 not to say 61传媒hasn鈥檛 made strides. In recent years, Hatcher-Skeers has experimented with more inclusive pedagogy to great success, designing classes that offer added support for underrepresented students who self-report feeling as though they don鈥檛 belong in STEM鈥攆ields of study that remain dominated by white male scholars to this day.
The results of what she refers to as more 鈥渋ntentional鈥� teaching have been excellent, with students thriving academically. 鈥淭his is one example where many faculty have been incorporating antiracist work in their classes, advising, and activism to help 61传媒improve its inclusivity and diversity goals,鈥� she says. 61传媒has also come a long way culturally, she notes, with antiracist work now being elevated to an institutional imperative.
Still, given her two-decade career at Scripps, Hatcher-Skeers accepts that this progress can be harder to see for students who are here for just a few years. But while addressing white privilege at 61传媒hasn鈥檛 been a quick or easy journey, avoiding bold change carries much more risk.
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 create an environment to attract and keep students, staff, and faculty of color here, we lose an amazing part of our talent pool,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hese are amazing individuals who are going to change the world鈥攖hey should feel like they can do that work here. That can only happen when we acknowledge how they experience life in general and at Scripps.鈥�
A self-identified 鈥渞idiculous optimist,鈥� the new dean remains intensely hopeful about the direction 61传媒is headed. Our origins were bold to begin with, she says鈥攏ow it鈥檚 time to learn from our own history to further evolve.
鈥淚n the 1920s, being at a women鈥檚 college was a big deal. 61传媒is where women were placed at the center of the College鈥檚 purpose鈥攁 place where you could see women in power,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow we can collectively live up to those ideals; to build on our past and create an environment where students of color have that same level of support and belonging.鈥�