Colleagues,

Like many of you, I felt the weight and importance of Tuesday’s verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial — what it means for our country, our community, and our campus. While that verdict will hopefully have lasting repercussions, the work of building a better society shouldn’t stop with this outcome. We all can take an active role in fighting the racism that we hear about in the news, that happens to others, or that we ourselves experience.

While I encourage all of you to help out in the communities you feel you can have the biggest impact, I also want to mention what you can do right here at SJSU.

I’ve always believed that given equal opportunity, so many more in our community could shine even brighter. That’s why we created the SJSU IT Diversity and Inclusion Committee to provide me with feedback and recommendations on how to make our division and campus community a welcoming environment. Starting this summer, I will be joining and leading this committee. I want to thank Kara for leading this effort over the last couple of years. If you’re interested in joining the SJSU IT Diversity and Inclusion Committee with me and making a difference, just send me an email.

In her email earlier this week, President Papazian shared a number of services at your disposal — whether you seek counseling, would like to connect with supportive communities, or are looking for more ways to contribute to anti-racism efforts. I encourage you to give it a second look. And of course, we must keep in mind that our students will need our support and understanding in these changing times.

As always, the SJSU IT Division is here to support you, too. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your supervisor or to me directly.

Thank you,
Bob Lim