SVA announced Dr. Jarvis Watson’s appointment as the College’s first director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) late last year. In this role, he leads the newly formed DEI office as well as the DEI Task Force, a group comprising SVA leadership and staff from throughout the College.

As Dr. Watson outlined in a Q&A last month, one of his goals over the next several weeks is to establish a DEI identity on campus—a process that is under way with two recent developments: the introduction of a blog, Realize DEI—dedicated to covering SVA DEI news and relevant campus, alumni and art and design news—and a new conversation podcast that he will host, Diversity in 3D—the Ds in the title standing for “Defining and Deconstructing through Dialogue.”

The mission of Diversity in 3D is to spread awareness, education and unity through honest and open discussion. “As a campus, we will be successful in our mission if we are able to identify and address those issues that we do not understand or may find discomforting,” Dr. Watson said. For his initial episodes, Dr. Watson plans to host members of the DEI Task Force and the greater SVA community.

The first episode of Diversity in 3D, launched today, features a conversation with Dr. Christopher J. Cyphers, provost of SVA. Dr. Cyphers was instrumental in the creation of the DEI Task Force and office, and serves as a DEI Task Force member.

“It’s one of the more important changes to the College in the last few years,” Dr. Cyphers says. “It marks a real turning point for SVA when it comes to discussions about race, ethnicity, equity and inclusion.”

Topics discussed on the inaugural podcast include: the original inspiration for the DEI office, SVA’s response to Black Lives Matter and disparities associated with COVID-19 information, visions for the future and next steps.

You can watch and listen to the full conversation below. The Diversity in 3D series will be available on the SVA YouTube channel and, shortly, on the major podcast platforms. Stay tuned for more Diversity in 3D and all DEI news by checking the Realize DEI blog, and join the conversation by emailing diversity@sva.edu.

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