Dear Scripps College Community Members,
It is my pleasure to introduce the Scripps IDEA Initiative Newsletter, a resource to keep our stakeholders abreast of and engaged in the ongoing work of becoming a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable educational community. This newsletter offers an opportunity to highlight the collective contributions of many individuals in our community who are building a more inclusive Scripps.
The Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (CIDE) offers one example of ways our faculty, students, staff, and alums are helping Scripps make progress toward our DEI goals. The College has implemented a number of CIDE’s recommended improvements to policies and practices that affect equity and access, including an inventory of all College activities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion, exploration of leadership models across the College promoting pathways for professional development to expand IDEA capacity, recognition of Indigenous peoples on the College’s historical timeline, free subscription app-based wellness resources, and the revised Principles of Diversity. Please join me in welcoming the 2021-22 members of CIDE:
- Scotland Carter ’24
- Shing Ru Chew ’25
- Mariaestella Cuara ’89
- Keila Fisher ’21 (staff)
- Mary Hatcher-Skeers (faculty)
- Theodora Helgason ’22 (IDEA Intern)
- Stephanie Johnson (staff)
- Julia Lum (faculty)
- Jane Mi (faculty)
- Denise Nelson Nash, Convener
- Luis Sales (faculty)
- Richa Shah ’23
- Marissiko Wheaton (staff)
I am grateful for the Committee’s ongoing work to improve equity and access at Scripps and I look forward to their insights and recommendations.
I’d also like to recognize the newly formed Scripps College Equity and Justice leadership team, consisting of: Assistant Dean and SCORE Director Marissiko Wheaton; Associate Dean of Faculty for Racial Equity Mary Hatcher-Skeers; and Vice President/Secretary of the Board/Convener of the IDEA Initiative Denise Nelson Nash. The team’s commitment to collaborating, communicating, and convening conversations across campus has made space for elevated dialogues among faculty, students, and staff. I am encouraged that our community is taking advantage of these learning opportunities which also will strengthen relationships with classmates and colleagues.
This initial newsletter merely provides a glimpse of the breadth of activity underway in support of DEI initiatives. Scripps College has expanded its investment in inclusion and access with an emphasis on antiracism over the past year thanks to the generosity of our trustees, alums, and parents who have given to the Scripps Racial Justice and Equity Fund. I’m glad to report that those gifts are producing new programs, positions, and partnerships to advance our commitment to DEI principles.
I hope that you are encouraged by the College’s progress toward its aspirations for greater diversity, inclusion, equity, and access. To learn more about Scripps DEI work, please visit the IDEA website which includes information about current initiatives, convenings, and a DEI dashboard.
As you read this and future newsletters, I invite you to seek opportunities to actively engage in building a more inclusive, equitable environment at Scripps and to share your ideas and questions with our Equity and Justice Leadership team.
Sincerely,
Amy Marcus-Newhall
Interim President