December 14, 2023
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Last month, I shared with you the bittersweet news that Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nsombi B. Ricketts will be leaving Pratt for a new position, and her last day at the Institute will be January 4, 2024. I have asked Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jazmin A. Peralta to serve as interim vice president during an external review with a subsequent international search.
With nearly two decades of experience, Jazmin is a dedicated transformative justice educator advocating for marginalized communities within higher education institutions. Joining Pratt in 2016, she established and has led the Center for Equity and Inclusion, introducing impactful initiatives such as the New Student Orientation DEI Community Standards sessions and the Community Dialogue series. Jazmin also curated and facilitated the DEI Allies Training Certificate Program and the Anti-Racism Workshop. Her contributions include advancing the development of the institutional DEI Strategic Plan, chairing the Welcoming Environment Committee within the Pratt DEI Council, and leading the steering committee for the creation of the Staff Council. She was instrumental in creating and implementing Pratt’s Living Land Acknowledgement and establishing the Native/Indigenous Working Group. Currently a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University, Jazmin’s research focuses on the intersection of institutional policies and practices and how they affect the educational journeys of criminalized and systems-impacted students, specifically investigating the broader context of higher education institutions as an extension of the criminal legal system.
Jazmin is highly engaged and widely respected across campus by both colleagues and students. I deeply appreciate that she has graciously accepted to serve as interim vice president. Given her close collaboration with Nsombi over the years, we can anticipate a seamless transition of Nsombi’s DEI responsibilities to Jazmin in the coming weeks.
I hope you will take a moment to join me in supporting Jazmin and the DEI team as they continue to do the important work of creating an inclusive and generously compassionate environment at Pratt.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President
November 15, 2023
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
I am writing to share the news that Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nsombi B. Ricketts will be leaving Pratt for a new role at The Rockefeller Foundation. Nsombi will serve as the Foundation’s inaugural vice president, diversity, equity and inclusion. This is an especially meaningful transition for Nsombi since her father worked at this important philanthropic organization when she was growing up.
As I have seen Nsombi’s significant leadership and career flourish at Pratt, I know how she will be deeply missed. Nsombi brought ambitious goals, best practices, and strategic vision to Pratt as the Institute’s first vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. We have been fortunate to have benefited from her expertise as an accomplished leader with significant corporate and higher education experience advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
In her five years at Pratt, Nsombi implemented a comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan and created the infrastructure for the Institute’s DEI efforts. She established the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, expanded the Center for Equity and Inclusion’s efforts to serve students, faculty, and staff, and built a strong team that collectively has worked to create supportive spaces for the Pratt community.
Under her leadership, the DEI team established and launched several initiatives including the Pratt DEI Council, the Student Diversity Advisory Board, the Native/Indigenous Working Group, the DEI Allies Training Certificate Program, anti-racism and racial healing workshops, the DEI Faculty Fellows Program, and Pratt’s Living Land Acknowledgement, to name a few. In addition, Nsombi has chaired the Pratt DEI Council, supported the Board of Trustees DEI Committee, and served on the Accessibility Committee and Strategic Plan Steering Committee. She has also served as an executive sponsor for the Staff Council and represented Pratt externally as a member of the AICAD DEI Task Force.
Nsombi will remain with us through the end of the fall semester; her last day at Pratt will be January 4, 2024. The President’s Office will announce plans for the leadership in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion shortly and I will be working closely with Nsombi and the DEI team to ensure a smooth transition of her responsibilities.
I hope you will join me in wishing Nsombi heartfelt congratulations on her new position and appreciation for how she helped to shape diversity, equity, and inclusion work at Pratt. The Institute has benefited greatly from Nsombi’s leadership, passion for DEI, incredible energy and insight, and the many unique initiatives that she brought to our community.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President
November 3, 2023
Dear Pratt Community,
We are deeply aware of the impact the Israel-Hamas War has had on the Pratt community. The past few weeks have brought increased worry and stress for many of our students, faculty, and staff, especially for our Jewish, Muslim, Palestinian, and Israeli community members who have expressed fears for their personal safety and well-being. Pratt is committed to creating a safe and supportive campus environment for everyone, regardless of religious or political affiliation. We condemn the killing of innocent people and we encourage those who seek peaceful resolution and an end to violence. At Pratt, we actively denounce xenophobia, racism, bigotry, prejudice, bullying, antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and religious intolerance of any kind. It is the responsibility of each and every Pratt community member to create a culture in which everyone can thrive without fear of hate, bias, discrimination, and/or harassment.
As an academic institution, we are also committed to creating an environment for the safe, free expression of multiple views, respectful discourse, and debate. Pratt’s Board of Trustees reinforced this commitment in a resolution on freedom of expression in 1992:
“Pratt Institute supports and upholds freedom of speech and other forms of expression because these freedoms are essential to an educational mission and to ideas, values, and opinions. At the same time, Pratt recognizes that such freedoms exist in the context of law and responsibility by one’s actions and, therefore, the exercise of these rights must not deny the same rights of others.”
Now, as in 1992, this resolution calls our community to embrace a level of responsibility for ourselves and each other; of wise discourse and peaceful, productive actions; of respect for academic freedom and freedom of speech; as well as a respect for one another, empathy, and tolerance for diverse ideas. We recognize that much has changed since 1992, before the chaotic dissonance of digital media grew to what it is today, rapidly bombarding us with a multitude of conflicting opinions. More than ever, this challenges the Institute to uphold the Board’s resolution and create critical learning opportunities to help students find their way through the chaos.
For this to happen, Pratt is responsible for providing the support, guidance, and services that create a safe and trusted space for all and continuing to develop additional guidance in collaboration with members of the Pratt community. To this end, we will:
- offer guidance and clear interpretation of the Board of Trustees’ 1992 resolution on freedom of speech;
- reinforce our Community Standards (for students) (for faculty and staff), and Nondiscrimination and Harassment policies;
- ensure compliance with existing event policies that guide the development, publicizing, and running of events;
- provide additional guidelines and protocol for space requests, campus demonstrations, and event sponsorship through academic departments and Student Affairs; and
- monitor and update our DEI and Interfaith efforts to ensure they are responsive to our most marginalized and vulnerable communities.
Members of the community who are experiencing distress or do not feel safe should contact Campus Safety with any immediate concerns. This and many other Safety and Support Resources are available on Pratt’s website.
This is a tremendously stressful and complex situation that will continue to develop over the coming months. Pratt’s administrators and faculty have been in conversation with concerned and hurting community members, with colleagues in other academic institutions who are experiencing similar distress, and among ourselves to plan opportunities for dialogue and to build a network of care embedded in our day-to-day work. Being true to our work is in Pratt’s DNA and in our mission, and will help guide us together through this crisis.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President
Donna Heiland
Provost
Nicole Haas
Chief of Staff to the President
Joseph M. Hemway
Vice President for Information Technology and CIO
James J. Kempster
Vice President for Communications and Marketing
Cathleen Kenny
Vice President for Finance and Administration
Delmy M. Lendof
Vice President for Student Affairs
Rick Longo
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Nsombi B. Ricketts
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Jessica Tallman
Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Find more Pratt resources at Critical Conversations.
June 29, 2023
Dear Pratt Community,
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action policies are significantly curtailed in the admissions process at institutions of higher education. Like many of you, I am deeply disappointed by this ruling. I want to assure you that, at Pratt, we will continue the work that our founder Charles Pratt began more than 135 years ago, when our doors opened to all regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic status. At the heart of our institution, we prioritize diversity and inclusion, welcome students from all walks of life, and open pathways to more equitable workplaces and careers.
As artists, designers, and innovators, we know that diversity fosters creativity. As educators, we believe that excellence requires all voices and positive change comes from the full range of human experiences. Providing opportunities and building pathways is critical to achieving a more equitable world and that begins with access to education. From the opening of our Saturday Art School in 1897 to the Design Works High School opening this fall, Pratt has encouraged diverse students to pursue a creative education and become changemakers in their communities.
Moving forward, we will continue to review each student’s admission application to Pratt holistically, confident that in so doing, we will recruit a class whose members we value for their individual strengths, accomplishments, and potential for growth. We seek to create a community that reflects and helps to shape the world we live in, informed by the variety of experiences, personal histories, viewpoints, and aspirations of all. This goal will remain present in our admissions process, which has always taken into consideration the range of experiences and circumstances of all our applicants.
Going forward, we will review our policies and practices to ensure we uphold our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion even as we work within the bounds of the law. Nothing can change our core values, who we are, what we believe in, and how we serve as catalysts for meaningful change.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President
October 18, 2022
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion assessed and updated Pratt’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan last summer to address the continued needs of our community. These changes were made to acknowledge Pratt’s progress during the last five years, stay current with DEI trends, and provide more specific attention to ongoing DEI challenges at Pratt. The Pratt DEI Council was also restructured to better support the following revised four pillars:
- Creating a Welcoming Environment – Build an inclusive community where students, faculty, and staff are treated with respect, ideas are freely expressed, and differences are accepted and valued.
- Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Students – Expand efforts to recruit and retain diverse undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups.
- Recruiting and Hiring Diverse Faculty and Staff – Enhance recruiting, hiring, and search committee processes to improve the diversity of our faculty, administration, and staff from underrepresented groups.
- Retaining and Supporting Diverse Faculty and Staff – Improve retention efforts, professional development, and career advancement opportunities to support diverse faculty, administration, and staff from underrepresented groups.
Please review the links for each strategic plan pillar to see the revised goals and high-level results. The “Expanding Beyond the Gates to the External Community” efforts from the original DEI Strategic Plan will be transitioned to the Civic Engagement pillar of the overall Pratt Strategic Plan.
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion also partnered with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to develop new DEI Data Dashboards for Pratt’s website. These dashboards include student, faculty, and staff demographic data and historical trends. For any questions, please email ir@pratt.edu.
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion can also provide financial co-sponsorship for events across campus that support the new pillars of the DEI Strategic Plan. To request co-sponsorship, please fill out our sponsorship form. For any questions about the DEI Strategic Plan or potential sponsorships, please email diversity@pratt.edu.
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Dear Community,
We know the past weekend’s shootings targeting diverse communities have likely affected many of you and your loved ones personally, and we recognize the larger implications and impact for our members of the Black and Asian communities. Pratt condemns these recent acts of violence and mourns the loss of innocent lives. We want you to know that we are also here to support you.
Resources are available to you as members of the Pratt community. Students who need someone to speak with can visit the Counseling Center located on the third floor of the ISC Building from 9 AM to 4 PM, M–F. The Center can also be reached 24/7 at 718.687.5356 or therapy@pratt.edu to set up an appointment or to seek immediate assistance. Martha Cedarholm, Director of Student Support and Advocacy, can also assist with any other needs. She is located in the Learning/Access Center, room 104 of the ISC Building. She can also be reached at 718.399.4546 or mcedarho@pratt.edu . Faculty and staff can seek support through Human Resources. Inquiries and appointments can be scheduled at 718.636.3787.
We know that the trauma caused by such incidents can be felt long after they occurred. These services are available to you throughout the summer months. As a community, let’s continue to work to end racially motivated violence and hate, and support one another with respect and kindness.
Sincerely,
Donna Heiland, Provost
Cathy Kenny, Vice President for Finance and Administration
Delmy M. Lendof, Vice President for Student Affairs
Nsombi B. Ricketts, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
March 1, 2021
Dear Pratt Community,
As we witness continued violent attacks and hate incidents targeting Asian communities in New York City and across the country, I am writing to express solidarity with our Asian, Asian-American, and Asian/Pacific Islander students, faculty, and staff. My heart goes out to the survivors, victims, families and communities that are experiencing loss, grief, and pain due to these tragic events.
I am reaffirming Pratt’s commitment to supporting and advocating for students, faculty, and staff of the Asian diaspora. Pratt Institute actively denounces and condemns xenophobia, racism, bigotry, or prejudice of any kind. We strive to create a campus culture where everyone can thrive and feel safe, and where differences are valued and celebrated.
For community members in need of support, please reach out to available Pratt resources for assistance. Students can contact the Pratt Counseling Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 718.687.5356. International students can also reach out to the Office of International Affairs, Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM at 718.636.3674. Faculty and staff can seek support through Pratt’s Employee Assistance Program (PDF), which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1.800.311.4327 (TDD 800.697.0353).
To report any incidents of bias, discrimination or harassment at Pratt Institute, please submit a report with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or Campus Safety. To report off-campus instances of anti-Asian discrimination, assault, or hate crimes, contact Stop AAPI Hate and/or Stand Against Hatred. Asian community members can also access additional support resources at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian American Federation: Stay Safe from Hate, or participate in this Webinar for People Experiencing Anti-Asian/American Harassment. Allies who want to learn about ways to support the Asian community or intervene as a bystander can participate in this Bystander Intervention Webinar to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment.
At Pratt, we must take an active stance against racism, hatred and injustice, and continue our collective work to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President
October 20, 2020
Dear Pratt Community,
In response to recent community demands and Pratt’s intrinsic goal of creating a welcoming environment for all of our community members, the senior administration has committed to requiring all students, faculty and staff to complete online diversity, equity and inclusion training sessions through EVERFI this academic year.
Students were asked to complete the EVERFI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Students course by September 30, 2020. Faculty and staff should complete the EVERFI Accommodating Disabilities, Diversity and Inclusion EDU, and New York State mandated Preventing Harassment and Discrimination courses by December 31, 2020. These trainings are being administered by Student Affairs and Human Resources.
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) also administers the voluntary DEI Allies Training Certificate Program for faculty and staff. All Pratt Officers and Deans will complete the DEI Allies program this academic year.
We have received several inquiries about how the recent Executive Order 13950 issued by the White House on “Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” will affect Pratt’s DEI training initiatives. Based on a reading of the Executive Order and review of the content covered in our DEI training offerings, it is not not necessary to alter or modify our training initiatives and all courses will proceed as scheduled.
We appreciate your continued participation in these training courses to support Pratt’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan and goals.
Thank you,
Nsombi B. Ricketts
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Helen Matusow-Ayres
Vice President for Student Affairs
Steven Riccobono
Assistant Vice President of Human Resources
Oct 1, 2020
Dear Pratt Community,
I am excited to share Pratt’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Progress Report for academic years 2019 and 2020. The report provides detailed results on the implementation of Pratt’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan since the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was established in 2018. It includes institutional, school and unit level accomplishments, as well as diversity statistics on students, faculty, staff, alumni and Board of Trustee members. Thank you to Communications and Marketing, Institutional Research, Enrollment Management, Institutional Advancement, and all of the other colleagues across campus that collaborated with my team to produce this comprehensive report.
As our country reels from the recent death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and last week’s unjust decision in the Breonna Taylor case, it is clear that this work is more important than ever and that we must actively demonstrate our commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. I am very proud of everything we have achieved together in the last two years, and look forward to continued partnership with everyone in the Pratt community to advance our diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
Sincerely,
Nsombi B. Ricketts
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
June 9, 2020
Dear Pratt Community,
The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Sean Reed, Maurice Gordon, Dion Johnson, Manuel Ellis, and so many others have yet again shown in graphic detail the blatant disregard for Black lives in America. I was appalled and furious watching the video of a white police officer looking directly into a phone camera with his hands in his pockets, while he calmly and callously killed George Floyd in broad daylight by kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes. These tragic incidents keep happening without any accountability, and we unequivocally stand in solidarity with the protesters who are demanding justice for all of the Black people unjustly killed by the police and racist vigilantes.
As a tall, dark-skinned, Black woman with long dreadlocks, I am acutely feeling and coping with the pain and despair of this moment, like many in our community. I have personally experienced the fear and anger from being racially profiled, followed by security in stores while shopping, or being pulled over by the police for driving while Black on countless occasions. I was a victim of a very public racist incident when I was a graduate student in business school. I have also had my intelligence, credentials and experience challenged or questioned on a regular basis because of my race. Being a Black person in this country and having to prove your worth and value every day is completely and totally exhausting. I have also been deeply saddened by the disproportionate number of Black people who are losing their jobs, getting terribly sick and dying prematurely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout my career, I have been a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion and a passionate advocate for underrepresented identities. When I joined Pratt in July 2018 as the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), I was tasked with establishing our Office of DEI and expanding the vision of our Center for Equity and Inclusion. I hired three team members and we established Pratt’s DEI Council, a committee of fifty staff, faculty and students, to implement Pratt’s DEI Strategic Plan and create an infrastructure for accountability across the institute. We also established a DEI Chair position on the Student Government Association and launched the Student Diversity Advisory Board and the Staff Council. The Bias Education Response Task Force was also reconvened and we created an online Bias Incident Report Form to better track and investigate complaints of racism, sexual harassment, and discrimination. We developed and administered several DEI trainings and workshops for students, staff and faculty. Our office also provides administrative and financial support for Black Lives Matter Pratt and collaborates closely with our Black Student Union, Latinx Student Alliance, Queer Pratt and The Black Alumni of Pratt on various events and initiatives. We will continue to partner with these groups and other campus allies on next steps to improve the experiences of our Black students, staff and faculty.
We understand that many community members outside of the DEI Council may be unaware of these efforts, so my team will be releasing a detailed report this summer about our progress on the DEI Strategic Plan, as well as the results from the fall 2019 Campus Climate Survey. We are proud of the accomplishments made over the last two years, yet understand how much more work we have to do and how much time it will take to make real cultural change at Pratt. While we have dramatically improved the diversity of our senior staff and deans, we need to continue efforts to increase our numbers of Black students, staff and faculty, while also ensuring that everyone has equitable opportunities for success and advancement while they are here. I will continue to partner with President Bronet, Provost Pillow, and the rest of senior staff to host additional dialogues and town halls on community concerns, where we will listen and use these conversations to develop new action plans for the upcoming academic year.
The hardest part of my job is hearing the painful and traumatic stories from students, staff, faculty and alumni about racist incidents they have experienced during their time at Pratt. We cannot dismantle centuries of systemic oppression, institutional racism, and white supremacy unless we work together to find solutions and hold each other accountable. In the meantime, our office is compiling a list of resources to get involved, do anti-racist work, and support the Black community that will be available on the DEI website shortly. We must seize this moment in history to fight injustice, renew our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and make the investments and policy changes needed to become a better Pratt for all of our community members.
Sincerely,
Nsombi B. Ricketts
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
June 1, 2020
My dear Pratt community,
Like many of us, I am outraged and grieving the recent deaths of George Floyd in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, Tony McDade in Florida, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. These deaths and countless other acts of racial violence against the Black community have ignited protests across the country and here in Brooklyn, including at our own 88th police precinct across from our campus. It is further heartbreaking that this is happening at a time when people are already isolated, disheartened, struggling economically, and frightened about the future.
I believe it is important to restate firmly that Pratt Institute condemns injustice, discrimination, and racism in all forms, and maintains our unwavering commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We are listening and stand in solidarity with all of our colleagues, friends, and neighbors through this suffering and upheaval.
While Pratt’s campus remains closed by pandemic regulations, our essential workers continue to care for and protect our spaces, and in turn, we remain vigilant about protecting these workers and our entire Pratt community. We encourage students, faculty and staff who need additional support to reach out to available Pratt resources for assistance. Students can contact the Pratt Counseling Center twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week at 718-687-5356. Faculty and staff can seek support through Pratt’s Employee Assistance Program which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-311-4327 (TDD 800-697-0353). More information is available online. Faculty and staff can also access Emotional Support Resources on Pratt’s website.
As a member of the Pratt community, the greater Brooklyn community and a nation of neighbors, I join with all of you in our respect and care for one another. As your president, I renew my commitment, and the Institute’s commitment, to work to eradicate racism and injustice through our curriculum, our outreach, and our mission.
Please continue to look out for the health and safety of your loved ones and yourselves.
Sincerely,
Frances Bronet
President
March 30, 2020
From: Nsombi B. Ricketts
Subject: Upholding Pratt Community Standards
Dear Pratt Community,
As Pratt transitions to a remote learning and working environment due to COVID-19, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion remains committed to fostering a supportive and welcoming culture for all students, staff and faculty. Every member of our community matters, and should always be treated with respect and dignity. We expect every student, staff and faculty member to continue valuing and upholding the Pratt community standards in all interactions.
During this global health pandemic, anxiety and fear can lead to stereotyping and social stigma that is harmful to members of our community. At Pratt, we actively denounce and have no tolerance for xenophobia, racism, bigotry, anti-semitism, prejudice or bullying of any kind. If anyone in our community has experienced or witnessed any incident of bias, discrimination or harassment, please report it to the Bias Education Response Task Force using the link below.
We encourage everyone to treat each other with understanding, care, empathy and patience as we navigate these uncertain times together.
Kind regards,
Nsombi B. Ricketts
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion