The months-long search for a chief diversity officer is nearly over, University President Ronald Liebowitz announced in an email to students yesterday. The email — which updated students on a number of the University’s diversity and inclusion efforts — also gave some insight into what the coming months will look like.

The email, which was cosigned by University Provost Lisa Lynch and Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, is structured similarly to two emails on diversity and inclusion that Lynch sent to the student body when she was the Interim University President. In an email to the Justice, Lynch noted that the administration will continue to provide these updates periodically throughout the semester.

“It is vital that we recognize our shared progress and, at the same time, acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do to realize the goals articulated in our university mission statement on diversity,” Liebowitz wrote in the email. “This is not easy work, and the journey to a more just and inclusive campus requires the participation of all of us.”

Most notably, the email announced that the chief diversity office search committee has narrowed down its candidate pool to a group of finalists after receiving over 50 applications. The finalists will be visiting campus sometime after Labor Day, the email read. Additionally, all of the finalists have prior experience as chief diversity officers at other institutions.

While Lynch could not provide specific details about the finalists, as she is not leading the search, she explained in her email to the Justice that the candidates “will be meeting with faculty, students and staff. Finalists will have an opportunity to get a better understanding of Brandeis and our community will be able to ask them about their vision of their role at Brandeis.”

She added that the administration “hope[s] to have this position filled as soon as possible but will take the time necessary to find the best person for this critical position.” According to the University’s Draft Implementation Plan for Diversity and Inclusion — published following the Ford Hall 2015 resolution on Dec. 1 — this position was slated to be filled by July 2016. However, the search, which was conducted in partnership with search firm Witt/Kieffer, took longer than expected during the summer months.

Another significant update from Liebowitz’s email is the creation of a new website for the University’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. The website, titled, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Brandeis,” contains information about the cultural organizations on campus, courses pertaining to minorities and upcoming events pertaining to race, religion and ethnicity.

“The Provost's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee wanted to improve the information available to our community,” Lynch wrote of the website’s purpose. “I expect our new CDO will have additional ideas on how to improve this resource for our community.”

In addition to including an archive of all of the administration’s statements regarding diversity and recent tragedies against minorities, the website also features suggested readings on diversity gathered by the Provost's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Readings on this list include intersectional scholar Sara Ahmed’s “On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life.”

Aside from the updates on the chief diversity officer search and the new website, Liebowitz’s email also included news about many of the University’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. In a June 3 email to the student body, Lynch wrote that the University implemented a mentorship program for all junior faculty in the spring. Liebowitz noted in Monday’s email that this program has been extended to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the International Business School.

Additionally, four faculty members were funded to participate in the Faculty Success program for tenure-track and tenured faculty, which is sponsored by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

In an effort to promote diversity within the faculty, the University has also recruited Salah M. Hassan, a scholar in the field of contemporary African and African-diaspora art and culture, to serve as the Madeleine Hass Russell Visiting Professor in African and Afro-American Studies for the current academic year. After the 2016 to 2017 academic year, Hassan will join the AAAS department and the Fine Arts department.

The email also touched on the University’s attempt to increase the applicant pool of underrepresented students of color in both undergraduate and graduate classes. According to the email, the Class of 2020 is made up of 16 percent students of color, which is up two percent from last year’s first-year class.

Additionally, the number of students who identify as Hispanic or Latino increased by 10 percent from the previous year, while the number of students who identified as black or African-American went up by 20 percent.

The University has also selected five “Diversity, Excellence and Inclusion Scholarship” recipients, who include African-American, Hispanic and first-generation college students. This program will start this semester in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Heller has created ten scholarships for underrepresented minorities for the 2016 to 2017 academic year.

The email went on to briefly describe training sessions administered to faculty and staff on subjects like implicit bias. It also discussed two programs recently implemented at Heller — one on career development for LGBTQ students and one addressing race, gender, disability and operational issues related to inequity in its doctoral program.

While the email offered several positive updates on the University’s initiatives, Liebowitz was cautious to note that the work is far from over. “We must continue to have open conversations about race, equity and inclusion on our campus, even — and, perhaps, especially — when those conversations are challenging,” he wrote. “In the coming weeks and months, offices across the university will host a wide variety of events, speakers and facilitated discussions on different aspects of diversity, with a focus on race and ethnicity. Such conversations are critical as we seek to understand and overcome implicit bias and challenge inequalities.”

In the coming months, the University is slated to roll out several other components of the Plan, including a series of open forums to “learn how [students] perceive diversity and what they would like to see as part of the Brandeis curriculum.”

Additionally, the Task Force on General Education Requirements is expected to complete its review and make recommendations near the end of academic year. The University has also launched a search for a new associate dean for diversity and inclusion at Heller.