On the heels of an incredible Admitted Student Weekend, the inaugural DEI: Make It Your Business Summit, and the always insightful annual Women’s Symposium, I am excited to share updates with you on the progress we’ve made on our DEI strategic review as we lay the groundwork for our inaugural DEI Strategic Plan.
The recent deaths of Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, and other Black and Brown people continue to raise the alarm. While the Chauvin trial, and other events including the continued rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, make it all too clear that our work to be better agents of change at the intersection of business and education is more important than ever. Part of that work is the efforts underway to develop Tuck’s strategic action plan for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. I want to share some updates on our progress to date.
First, we created an internal DEI Working Group to support the immediate launch of a strategic review of Tuck’s culture, climate, and engagement with DEI, and to identify the greatest opportunities for us to create a comprehensive strategic plan that outlines DEI objectives, desired outcomes, strategies, and metrics for action.
Second, we engaged Arable Ventures, a strategy consulting firm, to partner with us to design and deploy the initial stages of our strategic research phase. This included conducting 85+ conversations, focus groups and a survey that was designed to gather candid observations, feedback, and ideas from the Tuck community. My deepest thank you to all those who carved out the time required to participate in the aforementioned dialogues, discussions and the survey. The exchanges have already yielded beneficial insights about your experiences, sentiments, and priorities.
Next, I convened several members of Tuck’s student body, faculty, staff and alumni groups to serve as a short-term Advisory Committee, an important role which includes providing feedback to the working team. This committee serves as a sounding board while representing a diverse array of perspectives in the Tuck community.
Currently, the team is synthesizing and analyzing the qualitative and quantitative data they’ve collected in phase 1 in order to begin identifying themes and prioritizing where we should focus our efforts in phase 2. While that work continues, we deans have been listening and learning. While the work is progressing quickly, we are choosing to focus on quality, thoroughness and including as many voices as we can.
In the meantime, we are collaborating with student leaders to organize programs for the Tuck community in the coming days and weeks including opportunities for open and honest conversation, reflection and learning. Check out the “Upcoming Events” section of the newsletter below and stay tuned!
Wishing you well,
Dia
Dia Draper (she/her)
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Many Voices. One Tuck.
Launch of Pilot Seminar on Intercultural Leadership: “Level Up Your Leadership”
On April 14, T’21s were invited to join Vincent Mack, associate director of intercultural leadership, for a leadership intensive designed to help them level up their skills as a decisive and inclusive leader that embraces and leverages differences. This shared, one month, in-person experience features experts from across the country and will be held on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:00 pm, through May 12. Participants were selected through a process of application and nomination.
Professor Ella Bell and Phil Barta, executive director of Tuck Executive Education, both shared this thought-provoking piece by Lisa Leander and Ruchi M. Watson. Academic Leadership Already Lacked Women Representation Pre-Pandemic. Now What? It spotlights five leading women in business education and their experiences and calls for change.
Paris Palmer Joins Dartmouth’s Counseling Center
As we continue to explore opportunities to support the mental and emotional health of our students, Tuck is working to support and draw support from Dartmouth’s Counseling Center. I recently had a chance to speak with one of the newest members of Dartmouth’s staff and am excited to share that Paris Palmer, MSW (she/her) has joined Dartmouth as Staff Counselor at the Counseling Center.
Paris is new to the Dartmouth community, arriving in December 2020. Paris received her MSW from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Prior to arriving at Dartmouth, she worked as a counselor in Knoxville, TN. Paris has a passion for and focuses on multicultural issues, suicide prevention, substance use, anxiety, and depression. Palmer can be contacted at (603) 646-9442.
Please join me in congratulating Professor Ella Bell Smith for receiving The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management’s 2021 Earl Hill Jr. Faculty Achievement and Diversity Leadership Award. “The award was established in 2019 to recognize and honor outstanding academic and professional leadership on campus and to the community beyond the boundaries of the university. The award is presented annually in recognition of the recipient’s courageous leadership within The Consortium community and commitment in advancing the goal of equal opportunity and access to higher education for underrepresented minorities in America.”
This prestigious award is a testament to Ella’s scholarship and leadership, and I am delighted for Ella and for Tuck that her achievements have been publicly recognized by The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, an organization that counts Tuck and many other top MBA schools as members.
Next50 is part of an effort to increase diversity among the protagonists featured in the business cases taught at Tuck so that every student can see themselves in the business leaders they study. In service to this mission, the Next50 Fellows have been partnering with classmates, faculty, and deans to articulate goals and pilot ideas, building on the work of dozens of volunteers in the fall. The Next50 Fellows have also been developing a DE&I language guide for the Tuck community. Thank you to my classmates and fellow T’21 student leaders—Krishna Desai, Jhanvi Jagad, Monica McGreal, Bridget Morton, and Anna Vaughn—for all of the energy and time you put into laying the groundwork for this initiative. To the T’22s carrying the torch forward—Tabitha Bennett, Emily Blau, Caroline Carey, Gissell Castellon, and Lindsay Cox—we can’t wait to see where you take Tuck with this work. To the students and faculty that supported this effort from the beginning, thank you. Stay tuned—the future of Next50 is bright!
—Katherine Britt T’21, Next50 Chair
Congratulations to Rebecca (Becky) Timmons; the incoming T’22 Student Board DEI Co-Chair! Becky also works closely with the Tuck Association of Diverse Alumni (TADA) and, in June, will take up the helm from Lia Parker-Belfer T’22, founder of the “If You Knew Me” podcast who begins her joint degree at the Harvard Kennedy School this fall and the amazing Roderick Milligan, T’21 who is heading off to the west coast to make his riches at Apple. Big thanks to Lia and Rod. It has been wonderful to work with you, benefit from your wisdom, and share the struggles on the tough days!
With Roderick Milligan T'21 and Lia Parker-Belfer T'22
“Since we last connected, we’ve been busy planning and hosting the MBA DEI Summit. We’re happy to report that the summit was a huge success, involving almost 600 participants from 20 countries. Huge thank you to everyone who helped plan the summit and to everyone who joined us day of. Students from the organizing institutions (Tuck, HBS, Wharton, Kellogg, Ross, and Darden) are hoping to make this summit an annual occurrence. If you’re interested in getting involved or have questions and feedback for us, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
As the end of the year approaches, we’re working on finalizing season two of If You Knew Me and excited to onboard next year’s DEI co-chair. More to come!”
AAPI Heritage Month
For the first time in Tuck’s history, we are proud to announce that we will be formally celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the month of May. It is a month recognizing the contributions and influence of our community to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Please join the AAPI+ community for the following events and be on the lookout for Asia Night—details to come! And a big thank you to Jerry Won, author, speaker, and podcast producer of Dear Asian Americans, who joined Tuck last evening for a fireside chat to kick off AAPIHM.
Dartmouth AAPIHM Kickoff Event
Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021
Time: 3:30pm-5:00pm ET
Bubble tea grab and go on the Collis patio!
Bystander Intervention Training hosted by Hollaback!
Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Time: 7:00pm-8:00pm ET
Hollaback! And Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) will lead a bystander intervention training. The one-hour, interactive training will teach you Hollaback!’s 5Ds of bystander intervention methodology. We’ll start by talking about the types of disrespect that Asian and Asian American folks are facing right now—from microaggressions to violence—using a tool we call the “spectrum of disrespect.” You’ll learn what to look for and the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities.
Easter
Easter is a Christian holiday which fell on Sunday, April 4 this year. The holiday concludes the “Passion of Christ,” a series of events and holidays that begins with Lent—a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and sacrifice—and ends with Holy Week, which includes Good.
The Association of Christian Tuck Students (ACTS) didn’t let the pandemic slow them down, the group hosted a TuckTails Praise Session with grab and go pastries on April 1 and small group Easter lunches on Sunday, April 4.
Many thanks to the ACTS Co-Chairs: T’21s David Cantwell, Michelle Allum, Afolabi Oshinowo and T’22s Maria Tereza Nedochetko, Arun Ponshunmugam, and Amayo Bassey.
Passover + Yom Hashoa
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred and widely observed holidays. In Judaism, Passover includes a weeklong festival with a number of important rituals, including a traditional Passover meal known as a seder. Passover 2021 began at sundown on March 27 and concluded at sundown on April 4. The Jewish Student Club held a grab-and-go virtual seder dinner.
Many thanks to the Jewish Student Club Co-Chairs: T’22s Kira Hattenbach and Orly Booker and T’21s Yakir Gillis and Lior Zaum.
Ramadan Mubarak
April 12 marked the start of Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for more than a billion Muslim people around the world.
The month-long observance—which ends May 12, 2021—will see Muslims fasting from dawn to sunset, reciting verses from the Quran, and attending prayer sessions. For many of those observing Ramadan, it is a time to draw closer to their faith, for joy and spending time with one’s family, and giving to charity and those in need.
You can exchange Ramadan greetings by saying “Ramadan Kareem,” which translates into “Have a generous Ramadan,” or “Ramadan Mubarak,” which roughly translates into “Happy Ramadan.”
If you want to learn more about Tuck’s Muslim Student Association, reach out to T’22s Muhammad Hassan, Fatmah Ba and Edris Samadi.
More information is coming about some upcoming events, so stay tuned to learn how you can engage and get involved.
April-June: Men As Allies virtual book group Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. Sign up here or reach out to T’21 Ed Beschers; digital or hardcopy books will be provided to the first 60 participants.
April 28: Fostering Board Diversity and Why It Matters Panel Discussion. 12 p.m. ET.
May 5: A Conversation with Ijeoma Oluo, Author, So You Want To Talk About Race. 7:30-830 PM ET.
Summer Book Group: So You Want To Talk About Race
Inclusive Leadership Session
The Personal Leadership Spring Workshop Series hosted a session on inclusive leadership to help Tuck students continue to hone the critical capability to leverage diverse thinking in complex and dynamic business environments. This workshop, in its second year, is designed to help participants recognize critical competency areas and review instances where current leaders have succeeded and failed in those areas. Brian Cook T’17 and Theodosia Cook, founders and principal consultants of Groundswell Change, led this dynamic session.
A Final Thought
Institutions and individuals cannot claim to be advocates for inclusion and equity while supporting actions that foster voter suppression. Tuck alumni Chris Williams T’84 and David Grain T’89 are among the dozens of Black leaders to sign a letter urging corporations to act against restrictive voting laws in Georgia. Black Executives Call on Corporations to Fight Restrictive Voting Laws.
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