Dr. Creston Lynch has been appointed Assistant Vice President for University Life. In addition to overseeing the work of the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment; the Office of Coalition Building & Diversity Education; LGBTQ Resources; Women and Gender Studies Center; and the Student Transition and Empowerment Program, Dr. Lynch will lead University Life’s efforts in various anti-racism initiatives, including the development of Mason’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center and the Black Male Retention/Completion Success Initiative.
Our commitments to diversity, social justice, inclusive well-being and equitable student success have long been held as core areas of focus within University Life. Those longstanding commitments are present in the values, programs, and aspirations that many of our individual units have embraced. They are also present in our diverse UL workforce, one that mirrors the demographics of our students, and in the ongoing training and development opportunities we’ve offered through our original Inclusive Learning Community model and its most recent reboot and rebranding to Cultivating Inclusive Excellence. And as the division whose charge is to do everything we can to ensure that our students succeed, a more intentional focus on antiracism is essential in order for our students (and us) to thrive. This work is both ongoing and evolving.
As a result of President Washington’s charge that Mason become a national exemplar in antiracism and inclusive excellence, we will begin to see rigorous commitments to equity and diversity across the institution. “The role that University Life will play in this transformation cannot be underestimated, and I’m pleased that our efforts will be led by Dr. Lynch” said Rose Pascarell, Vice President of University Life.
