Subcommittee members
- Jacqueline Leary-Warsaw (co-chair): Dean, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art
- Sean Sullivan (co-chair): Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics
- Karna Lozoya: Vice President for University Communications
- Jeannine Marino: Secretary for Pastoral Ministry and Social Concerns, Archdiocese of Washington
- Matalyn Vennerstrom: Graduate Student, Department of Politics
The External Affairs Subcommittee was given a charge to examine, assess, and make recommendations to measure and improve how effectively the University influences matters of race, culture, and faith in society and the world.
The subcommittee focused on the University’s role for participating in and influencing the conversation about race within academia, in the media, with the Church, and with community and civic institutions (government). Members reviewed available data on faculty and graduate student diversity, data that indicated racial disparities in how residents of Washington, D.C., experience daily life; and data on how universities have been responding to race since spring 2020. They also considered Church statements and teaching on racism, diversity, and culture, and current engagement with the local community through the University.
A full 82 percent of universities, such as Catholic University, have engaged in external communications about race since June 2020, according to Education Advisory Board, while 39 percent have made long-term commitments such as anti-racism training, recruitment and retention changes, provision of campus-based resources, and improved partnerships with local and regional communities.
Faculty data indicates that Catholic University’s full- time faculty is three percent Black compared to six percent reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (2019). Catholic University full-time faculty is five percent Hispanic/Latino faculty members versus six percent nationally.
The data shifts at the graduate student level, which the subcommittee notes is important since graduate students are the path to faculty recruitment. Twelve percent of Catholic University graduate students are Black versus 13.5 percent nationally, while seven percent are Hispanic/Latino versus 9.2 percent nationally.
A survey of 36 alumni provided insight into their experience at the University. Respondents were asked how race was handled at the University, and their perception of whether persons of color had an overall positive experience. Results were mixed. A majority noted that their experience at Catholic University inspired them in a positive way to “think more deeply or differently” about issues of race. A number of respondents called the University to a deeper commitment to racial equality and understanding, with several recommending this occur through the context of Catholic values and teaching.
One respondent wrote, “Most of the time they [incidents of racism] are the small things that go unnoticed.” Another, who had been an instructor, wrote, “Figuring out the best ways to help [Black and minority students] learn inspired me to think more deeply about questions concerning race, privilege, and how those experiences are often tied to a challenging socioeconomic background or being a first-generation college student.”