Developing a Diverse Academy for Musical Education
The Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA is taking significant strides to foster a more inclusive and equitable environment within its community.
In a bid to educate and engage its community, the school is exploring topics such as implicit bias, prejudice, discrimination, structural racism, white supremacy, and cultural sustainability. The school affirms that Black Lives Matter and will support BIPOC voices.
To achieve a more diverse faculty, staff, and student body, particularly BIPOC candidates, the school is actively working on recruitment and retention efforts. One possible approach to increase the percentage of first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students is through transfer student scholarships and transfer plans.
A notable development is the establishment of an Anti-Racism Action Committee. Arturo O'Farrill, the school's ombudsman, has been appointed as the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and will play a crucial role in this committee. Eileen L. Strempel, the Inaugural Dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music, will lead this initiative.
The committee, which will include a diverse cross section of voices from the school community, will meet throughout the summer and share regular updates with the school community. The work of this committee will be embedded in the school's long-term strategic plan, with the initial draft to be submitted to campus leadership in October.
The school is encouraging feedback and ideas from the community and inviting volunteers to join the committee's efforts. Anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion, and access are being prioritized at the school.
In response to concerns about UCLA's association with local law enforcement, specifically the LAPD's use of Jackie Robinson Stadium to detain protesters and process arrests, the school is taking immediate action. This includes examining its relationship with local law enforcement and UCPD's practices and policies.
The school has also made strides in increasing diversity among transfer students. This year, the percentage of transfer students has increased by 21%, doubled the number of African American transfer students, and increased the percentage of low-income transfer students by 38% through a new agreement with LACC.
In addition, the school is considering offering emergency funds, scholarship funds, and continued support of dedicated scholarship funds for historically underrepresented students, especially African American students.
For precise information on this particular committee’s mission and initiatives, I recommend consulting official UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music communications or their website. UCLA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion can also be contacted to report incidents or for support.
In the pursuit of fostering a more diverse and inclusive community, the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA is not only actively working on recruitment and retention efforts for BIPOC candidates, but also planning to prioritize education-and-self-development topics such as implicit bias, prejudice, and white supremacy within its curriculum. To further solidify this commitment, the school has established a Business-oriented Anti-Racism Action Committee, whose work will be embedded in the school's long-term finance strategy.
