Dear Campus Community:
The Gallaudet University Board of Trustees held its spring meeting May 15-17. The Board cherished the opportunity to participate in many student-centered events, including the VL2 Knowledge Festival, Lavender Graduation, the Graduate Awards and Hooding ceremony, and Commencement. It was especially wonderful to experience Commencement with the community and hundreds of families, friends, and alumni who came to celebrate our graduates.
The theme of the three-day board meeting was Academic and Community Vitality, which is Priority Five in our Short-term Strategic Plan. The Board would like to share the following highlights:
• The Committee on Academic Affairs learned that the university’s Carnegie classification has been revised upward to Doctoral—High Research Activity, or R2. Congratulations, everyone.
• The Committee on Academic Affairs approved the creation of a Faculty Administrators Program. This will allow tenured faculty and non-tenure track senior lecturers to gain experience in higher education administration.
• The Board voted to grant continuous tenure to six professors. Please join us in congratulating the following on achieving this professional milestone:
Dr. Audrey Frank
, Dr. Cara Gormally
, Dr. Danielle Hunt
, Dr. Julie Hochgesang
, Dr. Poorna Kushalnagar
and Dr. Raja Kushalnagar.
• The Board received a presentation on collaborations between Clerc Center, VL2, and faculty from the Gallaudet Department of Education on how Gallaudet is impacting the education of deaf and hard of hearing students from ages 0-5 nationwide.
• The Board gained insight on the current climate on campus. The Committee on Student Affairs hosted a panel of graduating students while the Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion hosted a panel of students, faculty, and staff. The Board would like to thank everyone for sharing their perspectives on what we are doing well and which areas need intentional work.
The Board recognized departing trustees James Macfadden, Jeff Humber, and Jorge Díaz-Herrera for their 12 years of service on the Board. Their contributions will be greatly missed.
The Board will hold its summer retreat in Atlanta from June 30-July 2. We look forward to a productive summer and to seeing you in October 2019.
To everyone who will be returning, we wish you a wonderful summer. To those who graduated on May 17, the Board extends its warmest congratulations and best wishes for much success.