City College joins CEO Action to advance diversity and inclusion

CCNY x CEO Action raise awareness of unconscious bias in workplace and on college campuses

The City College of New York joins the growing coalition pledging to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace and on college campuses. More than 400 CEOs and university presidents have come together for CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, with City College being one of the first New York City colleges invited to be a signatory.  President Vince Boudreau is committing himself to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace and at the college raising awareness of unconscious bias among students.

“City College was founded on a vision of social mobility and education for all,” said Boudreau. “Today, that means our commitment to diversity must be second to none.”

On Thursday, April 26 from 12-4 p.m. in the North Academic Center, the college campus will host the Check Your Blind Spots Mobile Tour, a series of events in partnership with CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, which aims to reveal the nuances of unconscious bias, or blind spots. Unconscious bias can narrow a person’s vision and potentially influence their behaviors.

With a proud mission of social mobility and access to education and opportunity, City College gives students access to unconscious bias training and multinational corporations with pipelines in place to set up diverse talent for success as they rise to senior level leadership positions. Click here to view the pledge.

Angela Chitkara, PR Track Director, Branding + Integrated Communications at City College, recently published an article in Harvard Business Review that shines a light on diversity and inclusion in the public relations industry.  Unconscious bias training is a tool, she maintains, that prepares students to lead with empathy and courage as they move from the campus to the workplace and into senior leadership positions.

“We are at a major inflection point in our society today; and we are having real, candid conversations about race, gender, and socioeconomic inequalities,” said Chitkara.

By committing, City College is pledging to foster and cultivate an environment where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected and where faculty, staff and students feel encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion. The collective of more than 400 signatories have already shared more than 400 best known actions, exchanging tangible learning opportunities and creating collaborative conversations via the initiative’s unified hub, CEOAction.com.

“We are so proud that we are continuing to build momentum and support for the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ across companies, industries, and regions. This collaboration expands our reach and brings in unique values, actions and perspectives to continue to raise the bar for the entire business community,” said Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC and chair of the steering committee for the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™. “The overwhelming support for the coalition has been amazing to see and with each and every new organization signing on, we have the opportunity to put our commitments into action by working together to improve diversity and inclusion in our workplaces and communities.”

City College brings a unique perspective given its rich history in the Harlem community. The CCNY student body represents diverse, competitive and creative talent needed in solving today’s business challenges.

To learn more about the pledge, visit CEOAction.com. The website serves as a hub for information sharing, idea generation, and program development. With almost 400 best-known actions shared, companies that are not currently implementing the elements of the pledge can use it as an opportunity to learn from others that are already doing so.

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. Today The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks CCNY #2 among public colleges with the greatest success in ensuring the social mobility of our student body; at the same time the Center for world University Rankings places it in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. More than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight professional schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself.  View CCNY Media Kit.

About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™

CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. Bringing together more than 400 CEOs and presidents of America’s leading businesses, academic institutions and nonprofits, the commitment outlines actions that participating organizations pledge to take to cultivate a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected, employees feel comfortable and encouraged to discuss diversity and inclusion, and where best known—and unsuccessful—actions can be shared across organizations. Learn more at CEOAction.com and connect with us on Facebook: CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion and Twitter: @CEOAction. About CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™.