Next Steps from Belonging & Culture Survey Results
From Dr. Kenneth Lutchen, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer ad interim
As we move beyond the data-gathering phase of BU’s first-ever Belonging & Culture Survey, our next step is to translate that information into action at the University level. As you may recall, last semester, we rolled out the Belonging & Culture Survey results to the entire BU community, followed by providing data dashboards to each dean and senior administrative unit leader. Since then, we have asked these leaders to analyze their dashboard data and identify areas of focus for potential future initiatives within their units and across the University.
We have established a Belonging & Culture Strategic Committee (BCSC) to help guide how we will address critical areas of concern at the University and unit levels and build on existing cultural strengths. Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion Victoria Sahani, Director of BU Diversity & Inclusion Megan Segoshi, and School of Social Work Dean Barbara Jones have agreed to co-chair the committee. A complete list of committee members is below.
To foster University-wide and population-specific improvement, the Belonging & Culture Strategic Committee will:
- Confidentially review the University-wide and unit-level areas of focus.
- Identify common areas of focus across the University at the faculty, staff, and student levels.
- Engage the Staff Advisory Council, the Faculty Council, and student leaders on the Charles River and Medical Campuses as appropriate to create representative ad hoc committees.
To foster unit-specific improvement, the Belonging & Culture Strategic Committee will advise individual units whose survey results indicate a unique, unit-specific challenge relating to advancing belonging and community.
The committee will report progress when appropriate via the Belonging & Culture Survey website.
The efforts the committee will undertake are complex and will involve a wide range of input from across the University. I anticipate the committee being active from March through May 2024, meeting roughly every 2-3 weeks. At the end of May, we will determine what additional cadence of meetings and activities will be planned for the summer and fall.
I want to thank the committee members, in advance, for their service and again extend my gratitude to the entire Boston University community for your continued input and support as we strive to create a culture of inclusion, belonging, and shared success.
Belonging & Culture Strategic Committee (BCSC)
Co-Chairs:
Barbara Jones, Dean, School of Social Work
Victoria Sahani, Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion; Professor of Law, School of Law
Megan Segoshi, Director, BU Diversity & Inclusion, Community & Inclusion
Members:
Felipe Agudelo, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Amanda Bailey, Vice President for Human Resources
Elise Morgan, Dean ad interim, College of Engineering
Dan Quigley, Director of Engineering & Building Systems, Campus Planning & Operations
Vincent Stephens, Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, College of Arts & Sciences
Michelle Sullivan, Associate Dean and Professor of the Practice, Department of Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations, College of Communication