Standing Committee on Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity
The Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee (SJID) was formally created in early 2017 to solidify our full commitment to the principles outlined in the charge. The committee is comprised of staff, faculty, students, and alumni in order to gain needed perspective across our entire community. Students have also formed an enduring group, the Friedman Student Alliance for Social Justice & Racial Equity, which supports unique programming, provides crucial feedback, and offers different ways to get involved in DEI work as a member of the student body.
It is the charge of this Committee to:
- Identify areas within the Friedman School spheres of activity – education, research, service, and public impact – and its partnerships where social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equity should be promoted;
- Propose short-term (i.e. one year) and long-term (i.e., 5-10 years) goals to the Friedman School leadership and suggest methods for achieving these goals.
- Propose metrics to assess, and when appropriate, contribute to the assessment of the status of social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equity within the Friedman School.
The Committee’s work aligns with the goals and objectives determined by the School’s Strategic Plan, prioritizing the following: 1) ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School’s teaching, research projects, and partnerships; 2) expanding the field’s appeal to groups that are typically underrepresented in the field of nutrition; and 3) working to reduce nutrition-related health inequities. The Committee is composed of faculty, staff, and students and may form subcommittees to address specific issues. The plans developed by the Committee are to be enacted in partnership with the relevant departments and programs within the Friedman School. The committee’s primary responsibilities are to:
- Advise the School in ways to integrate social justice, inclusion, and diversity into teaching, student experiences, research, School partnerships, and advocacy;
- Assist leadership in developing a plan for short- and long-term goals in diversity, inclusiveness and equity and approaches to meeting these goals specifically around issues of recruitment and retention, fostering a culture of inclusiveness within the school, financial support and scholarship, research, and teaching;
- Recommend ways to expand the appeal of the Friedman School to groups that are typically underrepresented in the field of nutrition (including students, faculty and staff);
- Recommend activities that the School can undertake to reduce nutrition-related health inequities;
- Communicate with the Friedman community, periodically including updates at Faculty meetings, on the Committee’s efforts;
- Prepare and submit to the Dean an annual report summarizing the Committee’s activities over the preceding year.