WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. (March 19, 2021) — MassBay Community College is pleased to announce it has been awarded $70,004 from the Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) to train 100 members of the College’s leadership team and front-line staff members in current practices in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This grant will advance MassBay’s commitment to closing the equity gap by becoming a student-ready college while continuing to promoting antiracism and diversely welcoming campus for all students.
“We are extremely grateful to Governor Baker and his administration for the support and funding for this critically important initiative,” said MassBay President David Podell. “Having discussions about race and unconscious bias is difficult, but such discussions are paramount to achieving our goal of realizing true racial equity at MassBay. This work, though hard, will make MassBay a stronger institution of higher education for every student, faculty, and staff member.”
Through this funding MassBay’s 40-person leadership team, including members of the executive team, deans, academic department chairs, and program directors will participate in a two-month Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program through Cornell University. Cornell’s online program is practice-centered, which involves identifying interventions surrounding unconscious bias along with specific diversity and inclusion strategies. Sixty frontline staff members from a broad cross-section of College departments will participate in two 90-minute workshops lead by educator Dr. Paula S. Martin. The emphasis in this training will be understanding unconscious bias and how to talk about race and racism while focusing on self-reflection.
“These resources will enable us to hold these important workshops on our campus,” said MassBay’s Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Lynn Moore. “Like many others across the country, we have made strides in advancing the equity agenda on our campus. However, we also know there is much more to do. Talking about racial and ethnic equity is essential if we are to achieve the broad and noble goal of social justice, but it takes great care to do it right. Our community is committed to the equity agenda, and we look forward to these upcoming sessions.”
MassBay is scheduled to implement this training before September 2021.
MassBay Community College is the most affordable higher education option in MetroWest Boston, offering a robust portfolio of courses and more than 70 associate degree and certificate programs with flexible day, evening, and weekend classes in Ashland, Framingham, Wellesley Hills, and online. MassBay students receive an unmatched educational value by earning stackable credits that transfer to bachelor’s degree programs, and workforce-ready skills necessary to advance careers in high-demand fields such as health and life sciences, automotive technology, engineering, business, cybersecurity, and the humanities. MassBay’s Associate Degree in Nursing (RN) and Practical Nursing (LPN) programs were both ranked as the #1 Nursing Program in Massachusetts in 2020-2021 by national nursing advocacy organizations RegisteredNursing.org, and PracticalNursing.org. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and remains firmly committed to its mission of meeting the needs of the diverse local communities it serves. We value the intrinsic worth of all individuals, collectively in pursuit of inclusiveness and prioritize our work towards achieving equity within our community and beyond.