DePauw's Participation in USC's Equity Institute Noted in Diverse Issues in Higher Education

October 18, 2018

"Five months after a group of students at DePauw University angrily confronted their college president following a string of racially charged incidents on campus, Dr. D. Mark McCoy was sitting in front of his office computer actively processing the incident with Dr. Charles H. F. Davis, who was some 2,000 miles away," begins an article in the latest issue of Diverse Issues in Higher Education. "McCoy wasn’t alone. He had gathered members of his cabinet, and other key administrators from across campus, to participate in a virtual eight-week intensive Equity Institute sponsored by the Race and Equity Center at the University of Southern California (USC)."

Jamal Eric Watson writes, "For McCoy -- who has been at the helm of the small, private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana since July 2016 -- the opportunity to delve deeply into issues about racial equity and race-conscious leadership has been a central focus of his presidency."

McCoy tells the publication, "We’re always looking for ways to train ourselves and do better. The work is never done. It’s like the horizon, we’re always running to it, but there is more work to do."

Watson notes, "For DePauw, being proactive has meant participating in the Equity Institutes. The program is just one of several bold initiatives touted by USC’s Race and Equity Center. Specifically designed for 20 administrators and faculty on a single college or university campus, the intended goal is to help educators increase individual competencies and organizational effectiveness related to issues of equity, diversity and inclusion."