Center on Equality, Pluralism and Policy

The mission of the Center on Equality, Pluralism and Policy (CEPP) at Baruch College is to examine the opportunities and barriers of our country’s citizens and non-citizens associated with national, state and local government policy in a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse society.

The primary objective of CEPP is to critically examine issues of economic and social policies in our city, state and nation where the government creates and implements policies that affect all our citizens and non-citizens in our country. Baruch students are an integral part of this examination. CEPP invites students to bring their ideas and commitment to social justice to the Center.

In particular, CEPP will encourage and support scholarly research, conferences, and curriculum projects that –

•? Explore the contradictions among the twin goals of increased efficiency and access to equal opportunity in the formulation and implementation of public policy with a special emphasis on the role of the public;

•? Analyze the ways in which an emphasis upon diversity can contribute to increased efficiencies and equity in the delivery of public service;

•? Investigate ways that racial and ethnic conflict over access to public resources and public power can undermine the capacity of public policy to promote equal opportunity across racial and ethnic lines;

•? Insure that diversity-sensitive public policy strengthens civil society, and the exercise of civil and human rights; and,

•? Examine the current limits on public policy to promote social justice in a society driven by racial, ethnic, cultural and religious conflict.

CEPP is under the direction of Professor Sonia R. Jarvis, Esq.

The Lillie and Nathan Ackerman Lectures Series on Equality and Justice in America

The Lillie and Nathan Ackerman Lecture Series on Equality and Justice in America at the Baruch College School of Public Affairs is supported by a generous gift from Rosalyn and Irwin Engelman in honor of Mrs. Engelman’s parents whose deep commitments to equal opportunity and social justice inspired this tribute.

Lillie and Nathan Ackerman came to the United States from Russia and Poland , respectively, during the early part of the 20 th century in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution. Their good fortune in their adopted homeland confirmed their faith in America as a place where all people can pursue their goals without fear of government oppression or abuse. Yet, the Ackermans’ achievements never blinded them to the fact that America has fallen short of its promise by leaving many of its citizens poor, without opportunity or a voice in public affairs. They passed this concern on to their children and grandchildren.

The Ackerman Lecture series invites leading intellectuals and public figures to address major questions of equality and social justice in order to provoke debate and new thinking about how we might extend the promise of democracy and opportunity to all of our people.

John Gray Lecture
Steven R. Shapiro Lecture
The Voting Rights Act at 40

Participants

Staff

Faculty
Sonia R. Jarvis, Distinguished Lecturer

Events