July 2021

The Zicklin School recently hosted a lively conversation on diversity, equity, and inclusion at a Big Four accounting firm. Ken Bouyer (pictured below), EY Americas Director of Inclusiveness Recruiting, discussed DEI with Paquita Davis-Friday, Senior Associate Dean and Co-Chair of the Zicklin School’s DEI Task Force, and our benefactor Larry Zicklin. 

Watch the conversation here:

February 8, 2021

Dear Zicklin Community,

We trust you are doing well.

At our January 26 meeting, the Zicklin Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force discussed a number of topics, most notably the results of a school climate survey recently distributed to students.

We have outlined five DEI objectives for the shorter term. They are:

1. To encourage all faculty who have not yet done so to take the inclusive pedagogy seminar offered by the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute. If you are interested in attending the seminar, please email Anne.Rudder@baruch.cuny.edu and we will be in touch when the seminar schedule is released.

2. To offer a faculty workshop in managing sensitive discussions, possibly led by the nonprofit group Pollyanna, Inc. and our in-house thought leaders.

3. To improve awareness of the Zicklin School’s DEI activities by adding students to the communications sent to the Zicklin community.

4. To schedule an open forum in the spring semester for students to share their experiences.

5. To continue to include a diverse community of students in our marketing/recruiting campaigns, such as our soon-to-launch campaign, #WhyZicklin.

Our longer-term DEI goals include stepping up our efforts to recruit more students and faculty from underrepresented minority backgrounds.

This fall, we will launch the Baruch-BMCC Business Academy, our previously announced partnership with the Borough of Manhattan Community College. The Business Academy will identify mentors from the Zicklin community to support BMCC transfer students as they transition from their associate degree programs into the Zicklin School’s BBA program.

Roger G. Arrieux Jr., a Zicklin alumnus, member of the Dean’s Advisory Council, and managing partner of Deloitte’s New York office, has offered to help us in our efforts to recruit more mentors and adjunct professors from underrepresented minority backgrounds.

Thank you all for your continued collaboration as we work to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture for all members of the Zicklin community.

Sincerely,

Paquita Davis-Friday, Senior Associate Dean, Co-Chair
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57), Co-Chair

December 16, 2020

Dear Zicklin Community,

We hope you are managing well despite these challenging times.

We wanted to update you on the progress made thus far by the Zicklin Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. Since its formation on June 29, the Task Force has engaged in serious conversations about ways to combat racial inequity and improve our ability to incorporate a racially literate lens into the Zicklin community. We have accomplished the following:

1. Faculty and staff have received professional development training from the nonprofit group Pollyanna Inc., helping us to enhance our cultural competencies and better understand the impact of race at the Zicklin School
2. Faculty also completed a seminar in inclusive pedagogy, led by the Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute at Baruch College. The training was designed to help professors develop new teaching materials, classroom strategies, and a community of colleagues invested in creating and supporting a School-wide culture of equity, inclusion, diversity, and learning for all.
3. At the fall 2020 undergraduate orientation, students attended a DEI session led by Monarch Productions, a unique DEI consulting firm that uses humor to inspire, motivate, and strengthen community connections.
4. The Full-Time MBA student orientation included a DEI workshop that was facilitated by a seasoned chief diversity officer who is an expert in diversity recruitment and retention in both academic and professional settings.
5. On the doctoral level, our partnership with the PhD Project Research Symposium continues. Next spring, African-American, Latinx, and Native American doctoral candidates from non-CUNY institutions will have the opportunity to receive feedback on their dissertations from Zicklin professors. This will also give our faculty the chance to widen their network of possible candidates to consider when hiring at the Zicklin School.

Our continued conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion will help the Zicklin community learn, grow, and strengthen our bonds.

We look forward to updating you further in the weeks to come. 

Sincerely,

Paquita Davis-Friday, Senior Associate Dean, Co-Chair  
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57), Co-Chair