Higher education leaders from across the country gathered to participate in the first day of the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) 2021 virtual meeting.
The online event, scheduled to take place through Saturday, is focused on highlighting ways to move forward and bring about change in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing fight for racial justice.
“There can be no return to normal in a post-pandemic future,” said Dr. Lynn Pasquerella, president of AAC&U. “Higher education, after COVID-19, must be restructured and recalibrated to center on equity and student success.”
Highlighting the Jan. 6 riots — in which supporters of former president Donald J. Trump incited violence at the United States Capitol with anti-Semitic clothing and Confederate flags in hand — the afternoon sessions focused on ways higher education can address structural racism.
“Racial reckoning is about so much more than a rubric or a checklist or to-do list,” said Dr. Mary Dana Hinton, president of Hollins University. “This conversation, this topic is an emotional one. It is one where we have to take responsibility and ownership.”
For Dr. J. Goosby Smith, assistant provost for diversity and inclusion at The Citadel, Wednesday’s inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris depicted what the “democratic experiment looks like when it actually does works.”
“For some, the events of Jan. 6th and [previous events] have been very revelatory because they have not seen what is actually happening in the United States,” she added. “But for others of us, it has been very validating. Now everyone sees this beast for what it is and we can all get together directly and be allies for others to keep positive change and maintain the integrity for our democracy.”
