Miguel Baique, assistant dean of academic diversity and inclusive excellence at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, has been tapped as one of 10 SUNY faculty chosen to participate in the Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) fellowship program this coming spring.
The HLI, founded in 2017, was designed to help identify and promote Hispanic/Latinx leaders in the SUNY system. Starting in January, Baique will begin the HLI’s flagship fellowship program, an opportunity that serves to help faculty share ideas and learn from experts, through programs spanning from webinars to leadership retreats.
The program lasts the entire duration of the second semester, after which faculty are considered graduates of the program and are expected to apply what they have learned back at their home SUNY campus.
The fellowship is the brainchild of Havidán Rodriguez, executive director of the HLI and current president at the University at Albany. Rodriguez believes it can serve as a blueprint for diversity initiatives in public schools across the country.
“U.S. public higher education systems can learn to recognize the importance of professional development and building programs tailored to faculty and staff with a common heritage, providing an opportunity to create a more inclusive culture on campuses for the benefit of the growing and diverse student population,” Rodriguez wrote in an email. “Through these kinds of programs, we hope to retain and foster the success of the Hispanic/Latinx leaders throughout SUNY.”
Historically, 41 fellows have been selected. However, Baique has become the first to represent Binghamton University and said he is grateful for the recognition.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as a fellow in HLI,” Baique wrote via email. “Being in HLI will allow me to continue focusing on my personal and professional goals as it relates to advancing the values, principles and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice.”
Baique said he is looking forward to beginning the experience with the other nine members of his cohort and is already looking toward how he will use it to further opportunities for Hispanic/Latinx students at the University.
“I am eager to learn from experienced Hispanic/Latinx leaders within SUNY,” Baique said. “I hope to gain insight on failures, successes, best practices and other practical skills that will hone my skill set, all of which will develop me into a better public servant. As it relates to working with Hispanic/Latinx students, I want to focus on access and advocacy. I have always wanted to champion the voices of the marginalized and fortunately, I am situating myself to enter spaces that will allow me to do so. I will work alongside Hispanic/Latinx students and other underrepresented student groups to develop policies, practices and strategies that focus on equitable and inclusive practices and environments.”
Baique, who is from Queens, New York, earned degrees at SUNY College at Geneseo and SUNY College at Brockport before beginning his role with BU this past summer. Since arriving in Vestal, he has noticed the school’s commitment to diversity but also notes that any concrete change will take some time to realize.
“[BU]’s leadership has made diversity, equity and inclusion a University strategic priority,” Baique wrote. “With the development of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) under the leadership of Karen Jones [vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion], I am confident that [BU] will make great strides in developing policies, procedures and programs that are equitable and inclusive (some have already been developed), however, this will take time. Instituting the DEI marks a cultural shift for the overall institution and its constituents.”
Given his role at BU working at Watson College, Baique noted that Hispanic/Latinx students are extremely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. He believes that this multipronged problem, like many others, boils down to opportunity and resources.
“There are multiple reasons why Hispanic/Latinx students are underrepresented in STEM fields, including but not limited to a shortage of qualified educators who can teach science and math, the absence of Hispanic/Latinx role models in educational and industry environments and access to education (e.g., affordability),” Baique wrote. “An increase in financial and social capital can help alleviate the broader issue for Hispanic/Latinx students.”
Some current students in Watson College congratulated Baique and said they look forward to seeing how he will use the program to further diversity efforts at the college.
Will Florio, a junior majoring in systems science and industrial engineering, is proud to see a fellow member of the Watson College community being chosen for the HLI fellowship.
“I’m always proud to see the accomplishments of everyone who is a part of Watson [College],” Florio wrote in an email. “The diversity of students and faculty in Watson [College] makes for a great academic experience, and I’m glad to see [Baique] being recognized.”
Kevin Ahrens, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering, looks forward to seeing what Baique can bring back from the fellowship.
“First of all, I want to congratulate [Baique],” Ahrens said. “It seems like this is a pretty hard program to get into, and it’s nice to see Watson [College] being represented, especially since the school is very small overall. Of course, diversity initiatives are important, and I wish Dr. Baique the best of luck with this program. Hopefully, he will come back with some interesting ideas to implement on campus, and in Watson [College] in particular.”