Building WPI’s Sustainable Inclusive Excellence Action Plan

Last September, I shared our intention to create WPI's Sustainable Inclusive Excellence (SIE) Action Plan to advance goals around diversity, equity, inclusion, and racial justice at WPI and in STEM. This plan will feed directly into WPI’s next strategic plan.



We all recognize that this new year calls for a recommitment to action, and we are choosing to approach this action thoughtfully and carefully so that we have the greatest opportunity to make systemic changes with a lasting impact. This approach requires that we all work together as a community to learn more and reach our goals.



We invite all staff and faculty to engage with the Sustainable Inclusive Excellence Planning process as leaders of each division, as well as faculty and student governance leaders, prepare to renew/develop their implementation plans. You can participate by visiting the Sustainable Inclusive Excellence Action Plan Hub and engaging with the included pre-reading materials. Throughout January and early February, division/governance leaders will begin facilitating group DEI Dialogues with their teams on the pre-reading materials to help lay the foundation for the development of their implementation plan goals by mid-February.



Even as we engage in this planning for the longer-term future of Sustainable Inclusive Excellence at WPI, the university has been recognized on the national level: last year, WPI was named a recipient of the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award , which honors U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. This honor recognizes the deep commitment our campus community already has to the critical issues of equity and justice, and gives me great hope that even more impactful change is possible.



If you have any questions regarding the upcoming DEI Dialogues and SIE planning, please connect with your division/governance leader or Rame Hanna, Director of Diversity & Inclusive Excellence. 



Thank you all for your ongoing commitment to DEI and racial justice as we head into the new year!



Best,

Laurie