Dear SEAS Alumni,
To our entire community, and especially to our alumni of color, I write this message to acknowledge and condemn the the murder of George Floyd and to emphasize the commitment of SEAS to create an authentically inclusive and respectful environment for all. In short, we can and must do better; not just with our intentions but with our actions.
I have been working with the GW Office for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement to facilitate dialogue within the SEAS community. Students, faculty, and staff have begun to take part in a series of programs known as #GWinSolidarity, allowing members of the GW Community to process recent events, work on healing, learn from one another, and move toward action. I will also be meeting with a group of staff volunteers and the student leaders of GW’s National Society of Black Engineers chapter, and I’ll use the information and suggestions from these various meetings to inform school-wide plans and actions that SEAS will implement later in the summer and into the fall.
I want to hear everyone’s ideas about specific steps and concrete actions we can take to not just do better in SEAS but to be leaders for equity, inclusion, and justice in our communities and throughout society. If you have concrete suggestions to share, please contact me.
Sincerely,
John Lach
John Lach
Dean - School of Engineering and Applied Science
Professor - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The George Washington University
(202) 994-6080
[email protected]
https://www.seas.gwu.edu/john-lach