AAC&U to hold conference on upholding DEI amid 'challenging times'
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) will host its 'Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success' on 'What Unites Us' during March 21-23.
Topics include, 'Preserving DEI Programs: Addressing Threats to Inclusion in Higher Education,' and 'DACA and Immigration Issues: Ensuring Support and Inclusion for Undocumented Students.'
An international nonprofit that promotes liberal education will soon host a conference that advances intersectionality and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) under the guise of unity and “student success.”
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) plans to host its “Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success” on “What Unites Us” during March 21-23 at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia.
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“For those of us who have dedicated our professional careers to supporting the success of all students and to valuing their identities as core to how we design our educational spaces, these are challenging times,” the event description states. “We are trying to figure out how to be advocates in circumstances that seek to dismantle the very work that we hold as foundational for student access and success in higher education.”
In a promotional video for the conference, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Student Success Tia Brown McNair invoked her son, whom she described as a “teenage black son.”
”[T]he scales of justice aren’t balanced for people like him and for those of us who have been disenfranchised within our educational system,” McNair said.
Without explaining how students like her son are at a disadvantage, McNair proceeded to use a quote about “humanity” by former South African Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu. In 2002, Tutu also said that, “Israel is like Hitler and apartheid.”
Topics that this year’s conference participants will learn about include, “Preserving DEI Programs: Addressing Threats to Inclusion in Higher Education,” “Strengthening the Institution’s Ecosystem and Partnerships to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Student Success,” and “Understanding the Current Climate on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
Other conference topics include: “What’s Next? The Impact of SCOTUS Decision on Student Access and Success,” “Recruiting, Retaining, and Supporting Diverse Educators,” and “DACA and Immigration Issues: Ensuring Support and Inclusion for Undocumented Students.”
In March 2023, AAC&U held another Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success concerning “Can We Handle Truth?,” held in Henderson, Nevada. In an archived version of the event’s suggested session topics, an example listed included “De-centering whiteness in educational design, data collection, and assessment.”
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The AAC&U dedicates itself to “elevating diversity, equity, and inclusion among students and staff,” according to its website. With over 1,000 current member institutions, the organization features many of the United States’ elite colleges and universities.
Campus Reform contacted the AAC&U for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
