Message from Provost Hu
The death of George Floyd was a national tragedy. The fact that it was preceded by
the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other Black Americans whose
lives were taken violently underscores that all of us need to step forward to continue
the difficult work of building a more just and equitable society. With President Morehead
and the rest of the University of Georgia community, I condemn racism in all of its
forms.
When I first met Ms. Mary Frances Early, the first African American to graduate from
UGA and for whom our College of Education is named, I thanked her for her courage
in joining Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes to desegregate the University.
As an Asian American faculty member and academic leader, I feel I have personally
benefited from the sacrifices they made. I’m a true believer in the value of diversity
in higher education and in our society. The different ideas and perspectives that
diversity fosters make teams more creative. Diversity enriches classroom instruction
and experiential learning, where students learn from each other as well as from their
faculty members.
The University has made strides since Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes
became the first Black students to enroll at UGA. Our Office of Institutional Diversity and several other campus units oversee a host of programs that foster a diverse and
inclusive environment for learning, teaching, and research. Just last year, we joined
a national alliance to diversify our STEM faculty.
Yet we still have much work to do. I want our Black faculty, staff, and students
in particular to know that I grieve with you, support you, and am committed to hearing
your concerns, now and in the future. I stand with you.
Our words matter, and so do our actions. As the University’s chief academic officer,
I commit to a series of action steps that include strengthening our efforts to diversify
the faculty, launching workshops for faculty on diversity in the classroom and in
research teams, and creating a seed grant program to support research and scholarship
on issues of diversity and inclusion.
You’ll be hearing more about these initiatives in the coming months, and I want it
to be clear that these steps are part of a much longer march toward equity. The University
of Georgia has made progress, but there’s no denying that we must go further.
Sincerely,
S. Jack Hu
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
