The events of 2020 are still resonating. A life-threatening pandemic, disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income families, and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd became catalysts for a summer of protests, crystallizing the renewed call for racial justice in America.
Dr. Brooke Vick, chief diversity officer, associate provost for equity and inclusion, and coordinator of the new DEI certificate program at Muhlenberg College.
That work wasn’t going to be easy.
“Many realized they did not yet have the capacity, understanding, or skills to implement necessary changes or identify what those changes might be,” said Vick.
Through conversations with community partners, Vick said Muhlenberg College administration came to realize they could help. Starting in the 2023 – 2024 academic year, students can now enroll in Muhlenberg College’s Graduate Certificate program in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). The multidisciplinary program will blend “theory, research, and practice, to prepare students to lead their organizations through this critical time of social progress,” said Vick, who will coordinate the program.
The course will take one year, wherein students will attend two in-person symposiums and take courses virtually, synchronously and asynchronously. The goal is to attract a broad audience to the program, said Dr. A.J. Lemheney, vice president and executive director of Muhlenberg’s Division of Graduate and Continuing Education.
“We hope to attract a mix of professionals that will create conversations across industry sectors examining issues of equity and inclusion in their workplaces and communities,” said Lemheney.
