Message from the Chief Diversity Officer
Our students, faculty and administrative staff are the foundation of Bronx Community College (BCC) and the key to its success. There is an obvious connection between the workforce quality of Bronx Community College and the quality of its programs and services. In order to ensure a continuous high level of care and service, it is imperative to recruit, retain, develop and engage the best people possible. To do so, Bronx Community College must cultivate a diverse workforce and an inclusive work environment—an environment in which students, faculty and staff can contribute to the maximum extent possible to Bronx Community College’s success.
Contact Us
Jessenia Paoli
Chief Acting ADA & Title 9 Compliance Coordinator and Diversity Office/Director
Language Hall [LH], Room 31 A
Phone: 718-289-5288
Oluwafemi Akinsanya
Affirmative Action Specialist Substitute
Language Hall [LH], Room 31
Phone: 718-289-5154
In October 2012, a paradigm change was enacted by restructuring and renaming the representation of the College’s affirmative action administrative center to reflect the more proactive mission for the newly created Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance and Diversity (OAACD). That same year, OAACD set out to lead the development of the college’s first Diversity Action Plan for diversity and inclusion. This work was launched by a message sent from CUNY’s Central Office to establish a coordinated initiative to promote diversity and inclusion within all of the CUNY Colleges. It now tasks each campus to develop their own Diversity Action Plan geared toward faculty development. The framework provided for the plan identifies three strategic goals—faculty recruitment, retention and an inclusive climate—along with associated priorities. The guidance for college-specific plans directs campuses to outline the actions they will take to achieve the priorities identified.
Bronx Community College (“BCC”) serves faculty, staff and students of diverse backgrounds, preparations, and aspirations by providing them with an education that is both broad in scope and rigorous in standards. Our mission is to give our campus community the foundation and tools for success, whether an individual chooses to continue his or her education or enter a profession immediately upon graduation. BCC strives to instill within community members the value of informed and engaged citizenship and service to their communities. The Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance and Diversity (OAACD) promotes an environment free of discrimination and inequity in accordance with the CUNY policies and procedures for non-discrimination, equal opportunity and policies against sexual harassment, as well as with federal, state and local equal opportunity statutes and regulations.
The Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance and Diversity is responsible for:
- Developing and disseminating the yearly campus Affirmative Action Plan.
- Recommending and monitoring the attainment of faculty and staff employment goals.
- Handling both informal resolutions and internal discrimination complaints.
- Training the campus community on equal opportunity and diversity issues.
- Fostering a diverse and inclusive learning and working environment.
The Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance and Diversity is responsible for upholding the College’s commitment to equal opportunity for all members of the campus community in academic programs, research, service and employment.
Bronx Community College leads the way in providing faculty, staff and students with opportunities that enable them to move with equal facility into productive and rewarding careers or increasingly advanced higher education programs. BCC will work with faculty, staff and students who are prepared to live within, profit from, and contribute to a 21st century global environment marked by diversity, change and expanded opportunities for learning and growth.
The Office of Affirmative Action, Compliance and Diversity envisions Bronx Community College as an inclusive community where equal opportunity is afforded to all, and individual contributions are valued and supported in the College’s pursuit to become a top public institution within the City University of New York.
To fulfill the identified mission, vision and values, this plan addresses the following listed objectives, as prescribed by CUNY Offices of Human Resource Management and Recruitment and Diversity, from the provided general guidelines for a Faculty Diversity Action Plan, disseminated in October 2012:
- GOAL #1 – To recruit a diverse workforce to strengthen faculty outreach efforts to diversify applicant pools from underrepresented groups, and within certain identified academic departments. To build a diverse, high-performing faculty workforce that reflects all segments of society.
- GOAL #2 – To retain the current faculty workforce, and to maximize the opportunities for tenure and/or career development.
- GOAL #3 – To create an inclusive climate in the academic and work setting, the College will foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for our faculty workforce. To cultivate a flexible, collaborative, and inclusive work environment that leverages diversity and empowers all contributors.