<div dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear Colleagues,</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">I hope this note meets you in good health and that you are enjoying your summer.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Over the last year, a diverse group of campus constituents called Leading for Change have been working to ensure racial equity across all divisions and departments of the campus.  Our Plattsburgh Leading for Change campus team is part of a 30-institution consortium across the Northeast, called the </span><a href="https://www.bridgew.edu/the-university/racial-equity-justice-institute" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Leading for Change:Racial Equity and Justice Institute</span></a><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. Members meet regularly to share ideas and strategies to create more racially just institutions to serve the minoritized students of today.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Our campus team is in the process of identifying faculty members on our campus who demonstrate little to no racial equity gaps in the courses they instruct. That means that there are no significant differences in the grades of BIPOC students and White students.  At this time, we would like to invite nominations for faculty to become inaugural Racial Equity and Justice (REJ) Fellows. Our hope is that participating as a fellow will allow faculty the time to intentionally share the equity practices they use in their classes with colleagues who want to learn more about equity-minded practices. We anticipate that fellows will also study the best practices our team has been learning as a member of the consortium. These practices can advance the equity goals we use for all Plattsburgh students, especially those from racially minoritized backgrounds.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> Please consider nominating a colleague or yourself </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HJnev2wVlzBORgOA35YvHWMoPFUsGXsO5nEIQEy8Vlc/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">here</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">A part of being a REJ fellow includes:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"></p><ol><li><span style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap">Participating in some initial education discussions, which will set the groundwork to understand inequity.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Creating a compilation of successful practices that support student success, which can be shared as a model for other faculty to use.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Participating in teaching circles with faculty peers to  assist them to practice equity with BIPOC students. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Attending professional development workshops with experts like Estella Bensimon.</span></li><li><font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></font>Elimination of equity gaps in student outcomes of persistence, retention and graduation rates</li></ol><p></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">If you would like to learn more about the goals of the REJ fellow initiative or have other questions, please contact <a href="mailto:mcrom002@plattsburgh.edu">Michelle Cromwell</a> or <a href="mailto:carpenmm@plattsburgh.edu ">Michele Carpentier</a> and we will schedule a time to respond to your questions. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Thank you for allowing us to recognize and utilize your talents in producing an equitable classroom, and for considering sharing your experiences with this vital work as we move forward as an institution to greater equity for all our students.</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Best wishes,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.295;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:8pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">SUNY Plattsburgh’s Leading for Change team</span></p><div><div dir="ltr" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px"> </span></font></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>