Future Plans for Dr. Cindy Pickett and Continuity of Inclusive Excellence at CPP
August 15, 2024
Dear Campus Community,
Future Plans for Dr. Cindy Pickett
I am writing to share the news that Dr. Cindy Pickett, who has served as Presidential Associate for Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) since December 2022, has indicated that she will be stepping down from her administrative role with the start of the fall 2024 semester.
While serving as a member of my Cabinet, Dr. Pickett has remained deeply engaged in her academic discipline, serving as the 2024 President of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. This summer, she informed me of her interest in returning to the classroom and for deeper engagement in academic and professional pursuits. We are appreciative of her contributions and wish her well as she transitions to a faculty position in the Department of Psychology in the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences.
I want to thank Dr. Pickett for her efforts. She engaged the campus in critical conversations on topics of racism and free expression by bringing esteemed speakers Heather McGhee and Nadine Strossen to campus, stewarded CPP’s participation in the CSU Racial Equity Leadership Alliance and helped to advance the development of Cal Poly Pomona’s Principles of Community. I know she will continue to support the success of our students through her teaching and research, and she will remain engaged in advancing faculty development through continued work with CAFÉ.
Continuity of Inclusive Excellence at CPP
As the most diverse polytechnic in the nation, Cal Poly Pomona remains committed to inclusivity as a core value and to strengthening a culture and climate in which all are welcomed, respected and valued. With Dr. Pickett’s transition and the start of the fall semester, we will temporarily transition the work currently in the Office of Inclusive Excellence to areas of the university with the appropriate expertise to assure continuity and impact.
We will also engage a campus workgroup to study and consider how best to organize our institutional equity, diversity and inclusion efforts at CPP in the future. This workgroup is in formation and more information on members and its charge will be shared in the coming weeks.
Terri Gomez, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Christina Gonzales, Vice President for Student Affairs will assume shared responsibility for continuing to advance CPP’s inclusive excellence by leading this working group and by continuing to embed inclusive practices into our campus policies and procedures. These efforts are deeply connected to student success and by integrating inclusive excellence into their existing collaborations, I have confidence that it will further amplify and expand our collective equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
In particular, I have asked Vice President Gonzales to take responsibility for campus initiatives related to Black Student Success, the Black Thriving Initiative, Kellogg Inclusive Excellence Speaker Series, and the CSU Racial Equity Leadership Alliance. With the past experience of creating the Black Thriving Initiative, the divisional work around inclusive leadership and the creation of the Cultural Humility Learning Series for staff and managers along with their deep partnership with the Office of Student Success, the integration of these existing programs within the Division of Student Affairs positions us to maintain our momentum.
In addition, I have asked Vice President Gonzales to lead the administration of an Undergraduate Campus Climate Survey during this academic year, with the goal to better understand and identify priorities for strengthening our students’ academic and co-curricular experiences and sense of belonging. The survey will gather feedback on students’ academic experience, the campus environment, social belonging, support services, inclusivity and diversity. The survey seeks input from a wide range of student voices and will be deployed in November. The results of the survey will be shared broadly with the campus to guide the development of further initiatives.
As outlined in the values of our strategic plan, our diversity at Cal Poly Pomona across multiple dimensions reflects and enhances our community. The further integration of inclusive excellence into the work of the Divisions of Academic and Student Affairs during this transitional period will create new opportunities for demonstrating this value in action. I look forward to the recommendations of the working group for optimally situating this work in the university moving forward.
Sincerely,
Soraya M. Coley, Ph.D.
President