A WHOLE-INSTITUTION APPROACH

Georgetown is Engaging the Entire Community in the Work of Equity and Inclusion

In May, Georgetown announced the creation of the Office of Student Equity and Inclusion with Adanna J. Johnson, Ph.D., as associate vice president. This might sound like the work to increase equity and inclusion is centralized in just one place, but in fact it’s the opposite. Georgetown is committed to a wholeinstitution approach that makes equity and inclusion a central value to everyone in the university community.

The Office of Student Equity and Inclusion reports to both senior academic and student-affairs leadership, reflecting the threedimensionality of students’ lives.

Adanna Johnson had deep personal and professional roots in Jesuit education. For her, equity and inclusion are at the center of Georgetown’s Catholic and Jesuit identity and mission. She spoke with Jeffrey Donahoe, editor of Georgetown Magazine, in July about the whole-institution commitment, what makes Georgetown work differently than other universities and what success looks like.

Where does the new Office of Student Equity and Inclusion reside in Georgetown’s organizational structure?

The office has a dual reporting line to the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. This reporting structure is intentional—it acknowledges that students’ lives happen both inside and outside the classroom. Georgetown is taking a whole-institution approach that engages the entire community in the work of equity and inclusion.

Why is a whole-institution approach so important?

Equity and inclusion can’t succeed being in only one or two offices, with a few people. I don't think that is an effective philosophical approach—saying, “We have this office,” or “We have this departmental liaison, so we’ve got it covered.”

Every dean, every department chair, every faculty member, every administrator, every staff member needs to center this work. We need to ensure that Georgetown’s approach is truly integrated across the campus because it is central to the success of all students and is clear in our Jesuit mission and values.

WYou used an expression, “center the work.” What does that mean in this context?

We must place this value at the center of all departments and schools, as well as units, and not treat it as an add-on. For example, how do deans integrate it into their visions for the schools? There needs to be explicit conversations about what diversity, equity and inclusion look like.

What’s the relationship between access and equity?

In terms of access at Georgetown, more first-generation, low-income students are joining the community each year. But that’s only a piece of it.

It’s not enough to increase applicant diversity or the numbers of people who have historically been denied access to higher education in this country. A critical mass alone doesn’t shift the climate. You also have to think about what kinds of experiences we are fostering for students. What are we doing to ensure their success? Do they feel included? Do they have a sense of belonging in the community? Are we making this a more positive and welcoming experience for people who historically have been shut out? That’s the equity and inclusion part.

How do you approach the work?

I think about it in three different categories. One is integration. This office has brought the Georgetown Scholars Program, the Community Scholars Program and the Center for Minority Equity and Access under one umbrella, but there still is a need for integrative approaches across the institution. (See page 27 to learn more about these programs.)

Another area is collaboration. Integration and collaboration very much go hand-in-hand. We must work together for the equity, diversity and inclusion goals to become intuitive and organic.

The last is consultation. I see my role and the role of the new councils as being consultants for colleagues and units across campus to ensure that they have their own visions for centering this work to create a sense of shared responsibility.

How did the new Office of Student Equity and Inclusion come into being?

It came out of a couple of veins of work. The creation of OSEI has been several years in the making, as Georgetown has been building towards a more integrative structure for our Main Campus support and engagement programs, tying together access, equity, student success and diversity programming and services. In 2017–18, a number of strategic moves took place, including the creation of an ad hoc Task Force on Access, Equity and Success and an Advisory Board on Access and Affordability (ABAA). The ABAA, led by Dr. Andria Wisler (executive director of the Center for Social Justice, Research and Teaching), and Mr. Jason Low (assistant director of the Georgetown Scholars Program), was created at the request of Dr. Todd Olson (vice president for Student Affairs) and Dean Pat McWade (Student Financial Services) and consisted of 35 members from across the campus community; it initiated the “whole-institution approach” language we use to describe this work today. More recently, the work of these groups has led to the creation—and filling—of a reframed position of Senior Associate Dean and Director of Diversity, Equity and Student Success. These two entities examined diversity, equity and inclusion at Georgetown—what was going well, what was happening in various aspects of the institution and what was needed.

Both groups talked about creating a whole-institution approach to equity and inclusion.

How will the campus community be represented in the work going forward?

We have a Council on Student Diversity and a Council on Student Equity and Success. Combined, these councils are about 40 people, representing all the schools, the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access, the Community Scholars Program, the Georgetown Scholars Program, plus programs like the

Center for Social Justice, Veterans Affairs, Counseling and Psychiatric Services and health services.

I see the councils’ goals as continuing to assess and examine what we have. Something that happened beautifully in our council meetings last year was that people across schools and across units talked about the resources they have to support students during the summer who otherwise could not afford to remain in DC between academic years. There was an opportunity for some synergy around this, and a website is being built to facilitate student access in one place online.

Where does Georgetown fit in the overall examination of these areas across American higher education?

I think that being a Jesuit institution and our Georgetown values of community and diversity allow us to really cata- pult our focus on DEI work. Other universities may have an obligation that is rooted in their values institutionally, but Jesuit universities have a higher calling.

I think that’s why I’ve continued to work at Jesuit institutions. I was at Loyola University Maryland for over a decade before coming here. My master’s degree and Ph.D. are from Marquette University. The value of being a person for others is really important to me.

One example of Georgetown’s calling to work on equity and inclusion is the way we are grappling with our history and involvement with enslavement. It isn’t finished yet, but it’s been monumental work.

What are the challenges for the work in equity and inclusion at Georgetown?

Not everybody has the same socio-political outlook. Not everybody has the same level of privilege and power. So one of the challenges is recognizing that what looks revolutionary for some is minimal to others. For some people it’s not going to feel like enough. There will always be a critique. We need to take the opportunity to say that we are trying to be the best institution we can be.

An important gathering, the Summer Institute, took place here in June. What is the institute and how does it relate to Georgetown’s efforts?

In June, Georgetown hosted the American Talent Initiative Summer Institute on Equity in Education. This event consisted of teams of three to six people from ATI institutions to work on an issue related to equity that is present on their respective campuses. The Hub here at Georgetown has more details (thehub.georgetown. domains/realhub/si/).

We sent a team from Georgetown with ideas generated from the Council on Student Diversity and Council on Student Equity and Success, which I led.

In a joint council meeting, when we were preparing Georgetown’s presentations for the institute, we quickly what I need to do. Fanon said that every person should ask themselves these three questions: Who am I? Am I who I say I am? Am I all that I ought to be?

These questions make me ask myself, “Who am I in this moment?” If I am showing up as best as I can every day, if that’s done in a way that’s in alignment with my integrity and values, that’s what allows me to keep pushing. And then I ask, “What more can I do?”

I feel that I find a balance between feeling “this needs to change today” and appreciating incremental change and the long game. There ’s a continuum. A lot of things have changed in the year that I’ve been here. And there are a lot of things that I may never ever see shift. That doesn’t mean that I’m not contributing to the forward progression.

What does success in equity and inclusion at Georgetown look like to you?

Success looks like Georgetown community members having a clear understanding that equity, inclusion and access are priorities that are taken very seriously. No matter where you look, you see it.

Success looks like both innovation and incremental change. Both the brand-new as well as change that will take one, three, five, ten years to accomplish. Both of those types of change are happening here.

went deep and far into the overall Georgetown student experience, and specifically how advising shows up in a multitude of ways—not just when you go see your advising dean or your faculty advisor. It happens in lots of places across the institution. Some of the advising challenges with regard to first-generation, low-income students are about the people with whom they are interacting and people’s level of cultural awareness. We are also examining our policies and procedures that may make it challenging for those students to navigate our institution.

What keeps you centered?

I have a quote from Franz Fanon’s book The Wretched of the Earth that I keep on the white board in my office. It helps me every day to center myself and think through

Success is having more faculty and administrators and people in positions of leadership and decision-making authority who are from historically socially and politically marginalized communities.

Is Georgetown poised to achieve success?

The far-reaching interest in equity and inclusion at Georgetown exceeds that of any place I’ve ever worked. It’s encouraging. The depth of the talent and commitment here is beyond what I’ve seen. People here really want to deeply engage the work.

Equity and Inclusion Work Across All Campuses

The new OFFICE OF STUDENT EQUITY AND INCLUSION provides senior leadership to create and galvanize a “whole-institution” approach to equity and inclusion through supporting collaboration and providing expertise.

The office is a model for the integrative work Georgetown is striving for. Student Equity and Inclusion has brought key undergraduate programs under one umbrella.

six-year graduation rate for GSP students is 96.4 percent for first-generation college students, compared to the national rate of 30 percent. gsp.georgetown.edu

The COMMUNITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM , founded in 1968, supports first-generation college students, mostly from under-resourced schools across the nation. After they have been admitted, CSP students have a five-week, creditbearing academic summer program prior to their first year. CSP also supports its students—about 75 incoming students each year—throughout their Georgetown careers with academic advising, personal counseling and study groups. The program has a 92 percent graduation rate. cmea.georgetown.edu/community-scholars

THE CENTER FOR MULTICULTURAL EQUITY AND ACCESS supports students of color and other students who have been historically denied access to Georgetown. It provides personal support, academic advice, chances to discuss diversity issues, career advice, mental health counseling and options for finding affordable textbooks, computers and other academic necessities. cmea.georgetown.edu

GEORGETOWN LAW’S OFFICE OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION , launched in 2016 by Dr. Judith Perez Caro, works collaboratively with faculty, staff, students and alumni to develop community programming, educational and training programs and student advocacy and to provide advisory and consultancy services.

The GEORGETOWN SCHOLARS PROGRAM , founded in 2004, helps scholarship students thrive at the university. The program helps create a more equitable experience for low-income and first-generation students through programmatic support including mentoring, wellness activities and support services, including a “Necessity Fund” to cover medical bills and other unforeseen expenses. Since its first graduating class in 2007, GSP has served more than 1,160 students. The

The SCHOOL OF MEDICINE’S OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ensures a learning environment that understands the varied health care needs and the diversity of the populations physicians serve. Programming includes peer education, dialogue and training. The one-year Georgetown Experimental Medical Studies Program (GEMS) equips underrepresented and diverse students for success in medical education.