June 17, 2021
Dear Campus Community,
In the midst of Pride Month, I am reminded how important it is that we celebrate the identities of all students, faculty, and staff at Franklin College. It is our diverse identities and unique perspectives that make Franklin College the special place it is.
During the month of June, we also remember Juneteenth, observed annually as the day news of emancipation reached slaves in Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865. As Franklin College continues to grow and evolve, we commit to identifying a meaningful way to commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth, and to recognize both the struggles of slavery and the contributions that African American and Black people have made to the development and progress of our country.
As many of you know, we have developed a new institutional structure on campus to meet the important diversity, equity, and inclusion needs of our campus community. Dr. Maegan Pollonais, Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, will work in concert with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Human Resources and the Staff Communication Committee to design programming, trainings, and professional development to advance DEI initiatives on campus; this will include development of a Juneteenth commemoration, beginning in June of 2022.
If you have ideas or suggestions about how we, as a community, should commemorate Juneteenth moving forward, please reach out to Dr. Pollonais, June Henderson, Marti Schrock (Chair of the Staff Communication Committee), or Dean Jones. In the meantime, I invite you to view this short video about Juneteenth and its importance in our nation’s history.
Sincerely,
Dr. Andrew B. Jones
Vice President for Student Development & Dean of Students
Franklin College
ajones1@franklincollege.edu
317.738.8080
Pronouns: He/Him/His