The college launched an initiative aimed to “build a stronger, more equity-centered Emersonian community” following campus protests in the past semester, according to an email college officials sent to the community Friday.
Led by four college officials, the initiative, called EmersonTogether, will offer events, discussions, trainings, performances, and exhibits throughout the 2024-25 academic year that the college hopes will help “cultivate meaningful dialogue” and “foster mutual respect,” the website says.
[Read more: Who are the core leaders behind EmersonTogether?]
The initiative is part of the college’s latest efforts to respond to the widespread discontent in the aftermath of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and arrests last spring.
President Jay Bernhardt wrote in an email to the Emerson community Friday that he is optimistic for the new year and said the community must address “lingering feelings of pain and anxiety” that some may have upon their return to campus to move forward.
“Emerson has a long history of bringing the power of communication and the arts to our broader society,” Bernhardt said. “We also have an obligation to focus those strengths on building our shared community to ensure that Emerson has an inclusive culture where everyone feels welcome and supported.”
Members of the Emerson community, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni, can propose ideas and ask questions to the initiative’s leadership team. The college will hold its first event on Sept. 6 for community members to engage in conversations about the initiative.
“By identifying our challenges and engaging with each other to think about what freedom of expression, mutual respect, social justice, and shared governance looks like at Emerson, we will begin to collectively plot the path forward,” the initiative’s leaders said in an email sent to the community Tuesday.
There will be three operational teams to carry out the initiative’s work: content creation, capacity, and coordination.
The content team will spearhead community-wide events including speakers, dialogues, performances, and art installations to “provide the opportunity to be in community together despite divergent perspectives, beliefs, and needs.”
The capacity-building team will support students, faculty, staff, and administrators to promote dialogue, direct members of the college community to resources, and help prevent or minimize harm.
The coordination team will help foster the initiative’s vision and institute recommendations from the other two teams and will determine how to best execute community-wide events.
EmersonTogether is separate from the college’s strategic planning process, and ideas generated through the initiative will be shared with appropriate workgroups to help inform the strategic plan.
