Good morning and welcome to Oregon State University’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Peace Breakfast. I’m thrilled to join each of you in honoring Dr. King and his legacy.
I thank the Office of Institutional Diversity and the Commemoration Planning Committee for their work on today’s events. I also thank the OSU Foundation and OSU Alumni Association for supporting commemoration events.
Now in its 41st year, this gathering is OSU’s longest-running event focused on advancing social justice and transformative change.
This year also marks an important change in the name of this event. The King Center, the organization founded by Coretta Scott King to carry forward Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violent social change, has requested that observances of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day be framed as commemorations rather than celebrations.
The hope is that this change will recognize the ongoing struggle for civil rights. I thank each of you for your ongoing commitment to the ideals of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and social justice…and your dedication to addressing racism today and everyday…now and in the future…within Oregon State University, in other institutions and activities in which we engage and in society.
Please know that I unequivocally join you in this essential endeavor.
Growing up in India, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. King were my heroes. Their commitment to non-violence – to non-violent civil disobedience as an instrument for sweeping social change – has always been an enormous inspiration to me. I am still blown away by those photographs of Bloody Sunday – the unflinching bravery of the marchers in the face of extraordinary violence. They seemed to me not just heroic but superhuman. I realize now how young so many were.
Their work is not finished. And it is not finished at Oregon State. At OSU, we must continue the imperative work to create a university where all students, faculty and staff are seen and heard for the unique contributions that they bring… a community where everyone is supported to succeed and knows they belong.
OSU has an enduring commitment to create an environment where everyone can thrive. And we have an even more urgent need now…particularly for members of minoritized communities who have historically not been served well by institutions of higher education.
Dr. King’s legacy provides a guiding light for our collective work. His values are our values – respect for all people and a commitment to social justice through critical dialogue and deliberation.
Dr. King’s work also was rooted in coalition building. We aim to do that at OSU by working across many different communities to advance change and transformation.
I am proud of the work being done by our president’s commissions, our cultural centers dedicated to the advancement of students, faculty and staff of color, our living learning communities and the many units across campus working to advance equity, inclusion and social justice.
Dr. King also was committed to the concept of service, which aligns with the university’s land grant mission of service to Oregon, the nation and the world. I thank each of you who participated in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Saturday. Your service helps others and commemorates Dr. King’s vision to build strong and supportive communities.
Finally, Dr. King knew that this work would not be completed during his lifetime. He viewed these efforts as generational work that would not be “finished” in five or 10 years.
At Oregon State, we are making progress, but we must acknowledge that there is much more work to be done today and in the future.
For example, in 2020, OSU launched the “Moving Forward Together” initiative. This initiative articulates 45 actions to support the long-term success of BIPOC students, faculty and staff. Today, 34 of the 45 actions are complete or ongoing, and the balance are all in progress.
Additionally, the OSU Foundation and Alumni Association are helping to advance the university’s commitment to DEI. Donors and volunteers have accelerated this work, giving more than $4.28 million during the last academic year to DEI efforts and participating in nearly 500 volunteer engagements related to identity networks and events. One recent highlight involves an estate gift, expected to exceed $1 million, from a donor couple to support scholarships, staff and program expenses for the Black Student Access and Success Initiative.
This fall, students of color made up more than 29% of OSU’s overall enrollment, an increase of nearly 7% over last year. And based on the 2020 Census, we know that OSU students will continue to be more diverse.
As we celebrate this progress, future generations must propel OSU’s work to advance the university’s inclusive excellence mission. Each of us must be engaged in the work to create an OSU community that is fully inclusive.
This is not the work of one office, cultural centers, commissions and affinity groups. There is plenty of work to do, and each of us must commit to this effort.
As we look ahead, the national landscape is fraught with inflection points and future challenges. But I assure you…OSU will remain steadfastly committed to its mission of educational access and success for all.
As Oregon State’s president, I will continue to address disparities in retention rates and graduation rates for students of color. And I will focus on collaborating with community partners, families, other institutions – and each of you – to build strong, resilient pathways to OSU and higher education for all.
Over the next two weeks, I encourage you to attend as many commemoration events as you can. Each of these events and activities will help us consider Dr. King’s lasting legacy and be guided by him in the work to come. To close the commemoration events, I invite you to join me on February 1st when Jelani Cobb gives this year’s MLK Commemoration keynote address at the LaSells Stewart Center. I’m sure his keynote will be engaging and enlightening.
In closing, I look forward to collaborating with you in our efforts to achieve Dr. King’s great vision for our country and for Oregon State University.
Thank you.