Statement from Medill Dean on Supreme Court ruling

To the Medill Community,

As many of you know, I have devoted much of my life and career to furthering diversity and inclusion in the fields that we serve. That was true when I was a practicing journalist, mentoring high school and college students who hoped to follow in my footsteps. It was true when I became a member of the Medill faculty, conducting research and developing programs to help newspapers and magazines recruit and retain talented writers and editors of color. And it has remained true throughout my tenure as dean. We hired Rob Brown, the school’s first Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Outreach, who has helped us promote the value of inclusion within our domain and beyond. And we have partnered with numerous individuals and organizations to expand our reach in underserved communities.

Now, in light of today’s Supreme Court decision that many fear will put an end to efforts to build and maintain inclusive academic communities, we want to assure our stakeholders that while we will respect the law, we remain steadfast in our commitment to making our classrooms and, by extension, our industries, places that better reflect the demography of our country.

We believe it is more important than ever to ensure that the authors of our national narratives – whether they are journalists, marketers or other content specialists – reflect the diverse range of lived experiences and perspectives that animate our conversations and inform our public policy. To that end, we believe it is imperative that the Medill community remain one that continues to embrace diversity of thought, socio-economic status, and yes, race and ethnicity. We firmly hold on to that belief.

Charles Whitaker
Dean
Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

Statement by Northwestern President Michael Schill