Grateful To Those Working To Improve Campus Climate

Sept. 17, 2020

Dear Aggies:

As we continue our journey to achieve our goals related to diversity and inclusion, we recently learned that for the second consecutive year Texas A&M has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. We were also named a Diversity Champion, which is a distinction bestowed on only 15 of the 200 institutions that applied for the HEED Award.

The annual HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. We received this accolade because we have been transparent about where we are today, and as an acknowledgement of the progress we continue to make. I am very grateful to all those who consider diversity and inclusion critical for the future of our university and have invested significant time and energy to our efforts.

For the past number of years, we have made significant strides to enhance diversity and inclusion across the university, and to help everyone who steps onto our campuses feel more welcomed, included and respected.

For those who say we still have more work to do, I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, we would like you to tell us how we can improve our efforts. This summer we created the Commission On Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to seek ideas and experiences from as broad an array of voices and viewpoints as possible. The commission’s co-chairs, Dr. John E. Hurtado ’91 and Dr. Jimmy Williams ‘83, are currently conducting meetings with a wide variety of constituencies and we encourage you to send us your feedback, suggestions or ideas directly or participate in listening sessions, which will be held online on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Your input is vital to helping us continue to advance our efforts in these important areas.

I would like to invite every member of our community to contribute to our efforts to ensure that Texas A&M is a great place for every person who sets foot on our campuses. As Aggies, our core values of integrity and respect motivate us to work together to constantly strive to enhance our campus climate and environment. Thank you for helping us continue to move in the direction of those aspirations.

Sincerely,

Michael K. Young
President