September 7, 2023
Dear GW Business Community,
On behalf of the Dean’s Diversity Council at the GW School of Business, welcome to the fall semester! I am especially excited to welcome all new students, faculty, and staff to the GW Business community. Our community is strong and inclusive, and we all benefit when we work together to respect and support each other.
I send these monthly updates to remind us of the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the school, inform us of ways to celebrate diversity, and encourage us to get involved.
Hispanic Heritage Month
The annual celebration of the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans originated in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week. Later, it was expanded by President Reagan to cover a 31-day period from September 15 to October 15, coinciding with national independence day commemorations in countries throughout Latin America.
- ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States
Not too far from our campus, I encourage you to visit the exhibit, ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States in the Molina Family Latino Gallery of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which is the temporary location of the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL). A new building for the NMAL will be constructed on the National Mall. The Dean’s Diversity Council is organizing a guided tour of the exhibit for Friday, September 29. The tour will be able to accommodate up to 20 people. If you are interested, please let me know.
- GW Business Dean’s Diversity Council Hispanic Heritage Book Discussion
All are invited to participate in the GW Business Dean’s Diversity Council’s forthcoming Hispanic Heritage Book Discussion, during which we will collectively read and reflect on the books Solito, by Javier Zamora, and The Wind Knows My Name, by Isabel Allende. Stay tuned for more details in our school-wide “Fridays at 5” newsletter.
- National Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
Also open to everyone is a series at the School of Engineering & Applied Science that will celebrate the innovations and knowledge made possible by members of the Hispanic community in the field of engineering, each Tuesday starting on September 19.
Other Events and Initiatives
- Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute
As you will learn from visiting the exhibit, the Hispanic community in the United States has become a significant part of the nation’s culture and economy. This fact has helped to spearhead initiatives such as the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute, located at GW’s Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. The Institute provides programming, research, and engagement opportunities focused on policy issues affecting the Hispanic and Latino community in the U.S.
- Center for Latin American Issues
Similarly, the Center for Latin American Issues (CLAI) at GW Business provides executive education for public and private sector leaders from Latin America through the Minerva Program. Faculty such as Herman Aguinis, Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar and professor of management have explored the benefits of conducting management research in Latin America and of how the field could make important contributions to scholarship on the Hispanic and Latin American population in its research studies.
I also want to draw your attention to two other events this month, including “Nordic Female Leaders: Lessons for the U.S.” which is being hosted by the Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER) on September 21. From September 29 - October 1, the World Culture Festival will take place on the National Mall. Celebrating human diversity and unity, the event is expected to have participants from more than 180 countries.
If you have ideas for advancing DEI, please feel free to reach out any time. You can email me at moersen@gwu.edu to start the conversation. Have a great semester.
All the best!
