10/04/2022—
Alumni from around the globe are coming to campus as Michigan Technological University’s inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Sense of Belonging (DEIS) Alumni Advisory Board convenes its first in-person meeting this week.
The DEIS Alumni Advisory Board, composed of 10 volunteers from various industries and backgrounds, will meet Thursday, Oct. 6, as part of the group’s effort to guide and support DEIS initiatives at Michigan Tech. Of the 10 members, two serve as liaisons from Tech’s Alumni Board of Directors.
The board, facilitated by Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Wayne Gersie and Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement William Roberts, will meet with campus leaders to discuss matters impacting recruitment, retention and campus climate.
“Our board has a very committed, talented and diverse group of Tech graduates from around the world,” said DEIS Alumni Advisory Board Chair Otha Thornton. “We’re excited to return to our beloved institution to support it and its mission. We look forward to our work this week in meeting, supporting and advising Michigan Tech’s leadership on diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure that Tech remains a premier university in our nation.”
Members met virtually over the last year to develop the board’s mission and vision statements and conduct their first set of elections. The board will meet again virtually on Dec. 7 to close out the year.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.