A round piece cement with the following words wrapped around it "Step Into History...Take Your Place"

Academic Center for Equity and Inclusion

Who we are... 

The Academic Center for Equity and Inclusion (or “Academic Center”) organizes scholarly and pedagogical activities that advance St. John's University's commitment to an inclusive and equitable University community. The Academic Center exists to foster personal and institutional accountability for the University’s mission of “respect for the rights of every person” and advancement of the global common good. Thus, we aim to repair damage caused by social injustices and oppose all forms of oppression that harm our community, based upon race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, language, ability, political status, partisan affiliation, or religious membership.  

What we do...  

As an "Academic Center," we organize and catalyze the following scholarly and pedagogical activities: 

  • Research and Publication. Assist and advise academic units in their support of faculty research and scholarship on equity and inclusion topics. 
  • Literacy and Pedagogy.  Support and facilitate opportunities to develop equity literacy, inclusive curriculum, and anti-oppression pedagogies.  
  • Institutional Accountability and Recognition. Advise those who monitor academic units’ efforts to implement equity and inclusion plans, and advocate for recognition of faculty who cultivate campus equity and inclusion programming. 
  • Collaborative Learning. Nurture and expand University spaces for collaborative critical inquiry, co-curricular engagement, and community partnership regarding equity and inclusion. 

Our Plan

ACEI Operational Priorities

  1. Establish and sustain a climate where communication about race, racism, racial disparities, and antiracism can flourish
     
  2. Organize strategic collective action to change oppressive practices and policies within and beyond the University
     
  3. Enhance faculty-driven advancement of anti-oppressive practices in curriculum, co-curricular initiatives, pedagogy, and production of knowledge
     
  4. Enhance faculty-driven skill-building in the areas of pedagogy, administrative decision-making, leadership, service, and research to support ongoing learning for social justice
     
  5. Formalize process by which data is collected and evaluated in collaboration with university stakeholders to determine if the Academic Center’s outcomes are being achieved.

Our Team

Manouchkathe Cassagnol, Pharm.D. (she/her/hers)

Associate Clinical Professor
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Director, Academic Center for Equity and Inclusion
St. Augustine Hall, 402
[email protected]
718-990-1597

Kamanie Jialal (she/her/hers)                

Department Administrative Assistant
Academic Center for Equity and Inclusion
St.Augustine Hall, 402
[email protected]
718-990-1581

Additional Information

LGBTQI+ Resources

For information on all gender and ADA restrooms throughout campus, please visit the All Gender and ADA Restroom MapNote that you can find specific information on each restroom’s location by clicking on the map’s person icons.

Please note that it is a work in progress. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Jackie Lochrie at [email protected] or Matthew Pucciarelli at [email protected], Spectrum’s Advisors.

Additional LGBTQI+ Resources

Report Bias

The University is dedicated to fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus community where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued. Prejudice-based aggression and hate have no place at St. John’s. To guard against these social maladies and protect the physical and emotional well-being of our students, faculty, administrators, and staff, the University encourages every member of the community to report bias.  To learn more about bias, visit the Office of Equity and Inclusion websitehere.

To report a bias incident, please fill out our Bias Report form.

Swank Streaming Film Library

The University Libraries has a new subscription for Diversity and Inclusion and LGBTQ+ videos on Swank Streaming Film Library. This curated collection includes 100 recent and older feature films to support teaching and learning.

Achievements and Outcomes

St Augustine Top

Living our mission

Throughout the year, we offer myriad ways to engage the community with our work and our mission.

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Learning opportunities offered

5

World Renowned Scholars Hosted

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St. John's Community Members Contributing

When ACEI opened in 2018, we imagined it as a space to organize scholarly and pedagogical activities that advance St. John's University's commitment to an inclusive and equitable University community. We started the ACEI Pulse to share stories of the people and projects that are contributing to the work of our Center and advancing the University’s mission. Are you interested in becoming an ACEI Pulse contributor? Please send an email to [email protected] with your contact information and a brief description of what you would hope to share with the community.  

Related Blog Posts

Manouchkathe Cassagnol, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCP, FACC, FAHA.

Manouchkathe Cassagnol, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCP, FACC, FAHA Receives National Equity Award

For her outstanding work in the arena of reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health care, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Association of Black Health System Pharmacists (ABHP) have presented their annual ASHP-ABHP Joint Leadership Award to Manouchkathe Cassagnol, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCP, FACC, FAHA.

CRES Institute at St. John’s is Launched

St. John's Opens the Institute for Critical Race and Ethnic Studies

The launch of the Institute for Critical Race and Ethnic Studies occurred on October 22nd. The event featured remarks that centered mission, unity, and inclusion. Overall, the events of the day signaled an important moment in the 151-year history of our university as we embraced a true history of our past to guide us into the future.

Natalie Byfield
Natalie P. Byfield, Ph.D.
View All Posts

ACEI's Social Media Resources