Monthly Archives: September 2022

Some of the ten Yosemite National Park wildfires ignited in this month 9-15-22

Yosemite, CA Yosemite fire crews have extinguished or contained three of the ten wildfires that were ignited in the park this month.

Yosemite National Park Fire officials report that since September 5th, fire, aviation, and partner resources have responded to multiple new lightning strikes in the park. They added, No closures or evacuations are associated with these incidents at this time. All are or were less than 1/4 acre and have been contained or are being suppressed unless otherwise noted (below). Overall, fire conditions in the higher elevations have moderated in the last week, although fuels remain extremely dry.

To view the smoke outlook for the Red and Rodgers Fires, click here. Park officials released the below-updated fire activity on the ten fires:

RODGERS FIRELocation: Northwest of Rodgers Canyon and southwest of Pleasant ValleyElevation: 8,100Discover date: August 8, 2022Size: 2,774Cause: LightningTotal personnel: 15No recent fire history; burning in mixed conifer and red fir litter, and dead and down logs. A segment of trail in RodgersCanyon from Neall Lake to the junction with Table Lake is temporarily closed due to fire activity. A slight increase inactivity was observed yesterday due to drier conditions.

RED FIRELocation: Between Red Creek and Illilouette CreekElevation: 7,800Discover date: August 4, 2022Size: 8,383 acresCause: LightningTotal personnel: 224Fire History: Burning in the 2001 Hoover Fire footprint in red fir, lodgepole pine litter. Trail closures exist on segmentsheading out the Illilouette drainage from Glacier Point area to Merced Pass Lake. Some isolated pockets of heat remain, especially on the southeastern edge, and crews remain on scene to check the fires progress along Lookout Ridge.

ASPEN FIRELocation: Northeast of Aspen ValleyElevation: 6,200Discover date: September 4, 2022Size: 26 acres, 100% contained and in patrol statusCause: under investigationFully suppressed, patrol statusFire History: Burned within the 2013 Rim Fire footprint in snags and whitethorn. With drier weather, some isolatedsmokes from the interior of the fire were observed yesterday, but the fire remains well contained.

CHIQUITO FIRE patrol statusLocation: Chiquito Pass/Chain Lakes area, near the parks southeast boundaryElevation: 9100Discover Date: September 10, 2022

TURNER FIRE patrol statusLocation: east of Alder Falls, along Turner Ridge, northeast of the Wawona Road above Alder CreekElevation: 6700Discover Date: September 10, 2022

EMPIRE FIRE crew on scene, working on containment.Location: near Empire Meadows, Badger Pass areaElevation: 6500Discover Date: September 10, 2022Size: acre

WOLF FIRE outLocation: Along Tioga Road, east of White WolfElevation: 8000Discover Date: September 10, 2022OBELISK FIRE patrol statusLocation: East of Starr King Meadow/ west of Lake Obelisk/Mt. ClarkElevation: 9,750Discover date: September 9, 2022

RANCH FIRE outLocation: Northeast of Hetch Hetchy ReservoirElevation: 4,000Discover date: September 7, 2022

ALDER FIRE patrol statusLocation: North of Alder Creek, northwest of WawonaDiscover date: September 5, 2022

Written by Tracey Petersen.

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Crews Make Progress On Yosemites Ten Wildfires - MyMotherLode.com

The North Carolina Supreme Court has broken new ground in protecting the rights of criminal defendants in recent years, even as other Southern courts have backtracked. North Carolina's high court, which has a 4-3 Democratic majority, has ruled along party lines to limit long sentences for juvenile offenders and cracked down on the longstanding problem of racism in jury selection.

But that progress could come to a halt next year, depending on the outcome of this year's high court election.

Two Democratic seats are on the ballot in November, and a national Republican group has pledged to spend millions of dollars to help flip at least one of those seats, which would give Republicans a majority. Court of Appeals Judges Richard Dietz and Lucy Inman are the Republican and Democratic candidates, respectively, for one seat. Justice Sam Ervin, an incumbent Democrat, is running for reelection against Republican Trey Allen, a former clerk to conservative Chief Justice Paul Newby.

The court has had a Democratic majority since 2016. Since then, it has issued groundbreaking rulings in criminal cases.

Emily Coward of the Inclusive Juries Project at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, said in an interview that recent rulings have sent a message to judges that the high court won't "rubber stamp" their dismissals of challenges to jury selection.

"Now you have to show your work," she said.

In February, the court cited jury selection concerns in overturning the conviction of a defendant for armed robbery and possessing a firearm. The prosecutor had struck two of the three Black members of the jury pool, and both were women. The court said the prosecutor's lack of specificity regarding their elimination undermined the argument that it was a "race neutral" choice: "He only referred to the two Black women collectively, twice referring to 'their body language' without any further specification."

The North Carolina Supreme Court said that defendants can use a "wide variety of direct and circumstantial evidence" to show that prosecutors discriminated. The justices also warned that racism in jury selection "undermines the credibility of our judicial system as a whole, thus tearing at the very fabric of our democratic society."

Until recently, North Carolina's high court was the only one in the South that had never ruled that a prosecutor discriminated during jury selection. Coward noted that Alabama's appellate courts have ruled for defendants in dozens of cases. Despite decades of statistics and other evidence that prosecutors had been trained to mask discriminatory jury selections, in North Carolina "it was like the appellate courts were never going to reverse a conviction," Coward said.

But in May 2020, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in favor of Cedric Hobbs, ordering the judge to take another look at the jury selection. As in this year's case, the court noted that the prosecutor's justification for striking Black jurors was vague and inconsistent. On the same day, the court ruled in favor of another defendant in a similar case.

The court found in all of these cases that judges had given prosecutors too much leeway, or that judges had imposed too high a bar for finding discrimination. Civil rights attorney Ian Mance of Emancipate NC noted in an interview that justices are now holding prosecutors to a higher standard. "Defendants across the state can get fairer juries," he said. And as Coward pointed out, "diverse, inclusive juries prevent wrongful convictions."

In these decisions, the North Carolina court applied the test articulated in Batson v. Kentucky, a 1986 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court told lower courts how to determine if discrimination occurred. For decades, Coward said, Batson was "widely recognized as a pretty abysmal failure. Nowhere was that more true than in North Carolina."

But that is changing. Coward also pointed to two decisions in 2020 that overruled lower court decisions to bar lawyers from discussing racial bias in their cases. "It's really breaking new ground for the court to talk about the value of having fully fleshed out conversations about racial justice in the courtroom," she said.

Chief Justice Newby dissented in nearly all of these cases.In Hobbs, he argued that the judge had "appropriately considered the evidence."

In August 2020, Newby wrote a lengthy dissent when the court struck down a law passed by the Republican-controlled legislature that would have returned several people to death row. The defendants had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment under the 2012 Racial Justice Act, which allowed people to challenge death sentences on the basis of racial discrimination, including bias in jury selection. The Republican-led state legislature voted to repeal the Racial Justice Act in 2013 and to apply the repeal retroactively to people whose sentences had been commuted.

In striking down the repeal law, the court said that requiring the defendants to be re-sentenced to death violates the state constitution's "double jeopardy" clause.

Then-Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who is Black, wrote a decision that was joined in full by Earls and Justice Mike Morgan, the other two Black justices."The same racially oppressive beliefs that fueled segregation manifested themselves through public lynchings, the disproportionate application of the death penalty against African-American defendants, and the exclusion of African-Americans from juries," Beasley wrote.

In his dissent, Newby, who is white, argued that those three justices"may have a larger purpose: to establish that our criminal justice system is seriously and perhaps irredeemably infected by racial discrimination."

After Republicans swept North Carolina appellate court races in 2020, Democrats who formerly held six of the seven high court seats had only a one-vote majority. Newby, a former prosecutor who has denied the existence of racism in the criminal justice system, narrowly won the leadership position over Beasley, a former public defender.

The court's current 4-3 Democratic majority has continued to break new ground. In June, for example, the justices voted along party lines to put a constitutional limit of 40 years on sentences for crimes committed by juveniles. The majority reasoned that any sentence longer than that is a "de facto sentence of life without parole," which violates the state constitution's ban on cruel or unusual punishment.

Justice Anita Earls, a former civil rights lawyer, wrote the opinion. "When a child commits a murder, the crime is a searing tragedy and profound societal failure," it said. "Even a child has agency, of course But there are different considerations at issue when sentencing a juvenile offender." A longer sentence, the decision said, "deprives the juvenile of a genuine opportunity to demonstrate he or she has been rehabilitated and to establish a meaningful life outside of prison."

Newby began his dissent by defining the phrase "judicial activism" and accusing the majority of it. He argued that his colleagues were "legislating" by limiting sentences for juveniles to 40 years and setting "dangerous criminal policy." Newby wrote that the court should've considered the brutality of the murders committed.

The other Republicans on the court Justices Tamara Barringer, who previously served as a GOP legislator, and former prosecutor Phil Berger Jr., son of state Senate leader Phil Berger joined Newby's dissent in the juvenile case as well as other high-profile rulings.

In fact, research by William Busa of the Democratic political consulting group EQV Analytics found that the court's three Republican justices voted together in 93% of non-unanimous decisions this year, while Democrats did so less than half the time. Justices Ervin, who's on the ballot this year, and Morgan sometimes vote with the conservatives in criminal law cases. Last month, for example, Ervin voted with the conservative bloc in a case involving a defendant's request for a transcript of his previous trial.

In cases where the justices disagree, the Republicans are reliable votes in favor of prosecutors and against criminal defendants. Two of the three are former prosecutors.

If Republicans win both seats on this year's ballot, they'll have a 5-2 majority on the North Carolina high court. The GOP candidates, Allen and Dietz, are not former prosecutors, however. In fact, when Dietz was on the ballot in 2016, he mentioned the need to address perceived unfairness in the criminal justice system. Dietz' opponent, Judge Inman, is also acknowledging racism in the system and suggesting reforms.

Allen hasn't said much on the campaign trial about bias in the criminal justice system. But he's closely tied to Newby, whose administration hired him as lawyer for the Administrative Office of the Courts after its former lawyer was fired. Last year, Allen called Newby "the gold standard of conservative judges in North Carolina." Allen's Democratic opponent, Justice Ervin, authored one of the jury selection rulings in 2020.

If either Allen or Dietz wins and votes with the three sitting Republicans in nearly every criminal case, the conservatives will constitute a majority and the court could become a much tougher venue for criminal defendants. Like the Florida Supreme Court, which has recently scrapped precedents protecting the rights of people on death row, North Carolina's could rapidly overturn precedents protecting the rights of criminal defendants and others.

In the coming years, North Carolina justices could rule on important issues like whether people opposed to the death penalty can be banned from serving on capital juries.

The court could continue along its current path or set a different course, depending on who the voters choose this fall. While judicial races don't often get the same amount of attention as other statewide races, Coward said, "given that we have partisan judicial elections, you can't overemphasize the importance of an informed electorate."

More here:

North Carolina's progress on criminal justice at stake in high court election - Facing South

Progress has stalled on investigations over North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens, with no prospects of arresting suspects 20 years after Pyongyang admitted to the kidnappings.

Japanese police have determined that 19 people were abducted by North Korea, including two children of Korean nationality who have disappeared. Another 871 have been identified as potential abductees.

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No progress in Japan's investigation into North Korean abduction suspects - The Japan Times

A big part of playing betas oftentimes is that some progress carries over into the full release. In terms of Modern Warfare 2, does the progress you made in the beta carry over to the full release? We have answers.

It seems that the progress you made in this beta will not carry over to the full game. People may be disappointed by the fact that theyll be grinding away for new guns just for that progress to be reset in the main game. To be fair, it would be a huge advantage to those who pre-ordered the game and played the beta a whole two days before everyone else. Let alone, participated in a beta where you can try out a wide array of weapons and loadouts.

Even if the cap for the beta goes to 30, it wouldnt be fair to people who missed out on these periods. Dont think that just opting out will be pointless either. There are rewards for people who hit certain levels in this beta. These are the cool things to expect once you hit these levels.

So, if you play a decent amount and get to 30, you may not have all the other things you worked to get, but you will have some cool gear to start with when the game comes out. Everything will have that slick black and green finish to them to fit with the games thematic color scheme.

What also is a bit cool is that players who participated in the beta and hit the first weeks cap of 15 followed by 30 for the second is that theyll be rewarded with these blueprints. Theyre essentially themed guns with their own preset attachments on them, working similarly to those other blueprint guns from the previous Call of Duty titles.

Its still a decent tradeoff to dedicate enough time to get a few goodies to commemorate that you were there to participate in the games online sphere ahead of launch.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will release on October 27, 2022 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series consoles, and PC.

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Does Modern Warfare 2 Beta Progress Carry Over to the Full Release? - Attack of the Fanboy

Daily Point Hybrid holding for now

Wondering what Long Islanders work-life picture looks like 2 years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Consider this:

A staggering 91% of Manhattan office workers are NOT in the office five days a week.

But only 16% of those workers are fully remote.

And on an average workday, 49% of those employees are in their offices.

Together, that data from a recent survey by The Partnership for New York City, a leading business group based in Manhattan paints a picture of employers relying on a hybrid model. The Partnership, which surveyed more than 160 major employers, expects the return to work to continue to expand slowly, projecting that by January2023, 54% of workers will be in the office on an average workday.

But Kathryn Wylde, the Partnerships president and chief executive, told The Point she saw the current statistics as a short term policy thats not permanent.

At this point, things are still in flux, Wylde said. Employers are trying to figure out whats going to work best over the long term.

Wylde noted that many employers are evaluating the hybrid model to see how well it ultimately works out. But she noted that some studies already have shown that for some industries, remote work is not as successful as in-person performance, especially in terms of training and communication and, in some cases, productivity. For example, Wylde noted that financial analyst program graduates were not as well-prepared after two years of working remotely as those who have been able to be in the office in the past.

So far, according to the Partnership data, the real estate industry has the largest daily in-person attendance, with 82% of workers coming into the office. Law and financial services are second and third on the list, as each have more than half of their employees coming into the office.

Among those employers who are encouraging workers back to the office, 59% are offering some type of incentives, such as free or discounted meals, social activities, transportation subsidies, or child care.

Nonetheless, for now, employers seem to be sticking to a mix of in-person and remote work. The highest percentage of employers 37% are choosing to bring their workers in three days a week. Despite that trend, however, the Partnership found that the majority of employers have no plans to decrease the amount of real estate they hold In New York City, and that only 10% expect a decline in their worker head count over the next five years.

Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

The Partnerships survey results are reinforced by the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey, where in raw numbers, remote work on Long Island has nearly quadrupled from 64,000 in 2019 to 253,000 in 2021.

The Census Bureau data showed that there was a 14.8 percentage-pointjump statewide of employees working from home from 2019 to 2021, while on Long Island, the work-from-home population has spiked from 4.43% to 17.53%, an increase of 13.1 percentage pointsduring that time.

Meanwhile, most of the other categories for transportation to work saw declines. Public transportation use was halved from 165,000 commuters to 81,000 in the same period, while the number of those driving to work dropped from nearly 1.2 million to slightly above 1 million.

While Nassau and Suffolk differ in many ways, they mimic each other in this shift to remote work. Both counties saw their remote work population quadruple, Nassau County from 5% to 20% and Suffolk County from 3.8% to 15.3%.

Jun-Kai Teoh @jkteoh

Credit: CQ Roll Call/R.J. Matson

For more cartoons, visit http://www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons

Since the membership of the StateSenate wont be determined until after the November elections, nobody can say who in the majority or which Democrats, barring an earthshaking surprise will be appointed to chair which committees in the upper chamber.

But that didnt keep The Point from testing the speculation a bit about who will succeed former Sen. Todd Kaminsky of Long Beach at the helm of the key Environmental Conservation Committee. Kaminsky left his elected post for the private firm Greenberg & Traurig, as a follow-up to his defeat last November for Nassau County district attorney.

Nobody has any idea yet, cautioned a Capitol insider.

The veteran chairman of the Assemblys EnCon committee is Steve Englebright of East Setauket, who has steered bills and budget items affecting pollution, climate change, energy production, sewers, wetlands and other relevant topics. He was asked when interviewed by the Newsday editorial board about who mightsupplant his former ally Kaminsky as his opposite number in the Senate.

There are a number of extraordinary potential partners, Englebright said. But I dont have anything to say about who the majority leader appoints. Sen. [Pete] Harckham is the person I worked closely with on the Freshwater Wetlands Act and so his name immediately comes to mind. But so do a half-dozen others.

Harckham, of South Salem, is currently chairman of the Senate Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. Hes a former Westchester County legislator who was assistant director of the Office of Community Renewal inthe Cuomo administration. Hes seeking a third term in the Senate from a competitive district.

Englebright said: I would think Harckham would be someone who the majority leader would look toward, but I dont know for sure. Currently that leader is Sen. AndreaStewart-Cousins, also of Westchester.

Dan Janison @Danjanison

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Hybrid work a work in progress - Newsday

BENNINGTON The transition of Peoples United Bank to M&T Bank is getting mixed customer reviews with some expressing frustration with the changeover and a few saying they closed their accounts.

The Buffalo, N.Y.-based ownership group of M&T Bank has said little publicly on whether progress has been made on the transition, which began over Labor Day weekend. While the bank acknowledged problems shortly after customer accounts were transferred into the combined system, officials at the Buffalo headquarters did not return calls this week seeking an update.

M&T Banks parent corporation and Peoples United Financial Inc., based in Bridgeport, Conn., merged in April under the M&T Bank name in an $8.3 billion transaction agreement.

Following the acquisition of Peoples United Bank by M&T Bank, the company now operates a reported 1,100 branches in 12 states from Maine to Virginia and the District of Columbia. There are 38 branches in Vermont.

The change-over for customers officially occurred on Sept. 6, with new banking cards issued and other changes taking effect. Although some customers reported a smooth transition, others took to social media to complain about confusion by banking staff, long waits for calls to the company to be returned, and more.

Horrible doesnt even begin to describe what my family has experienced, Louise McClay posted on the Bennington Banner Facebook page, responding to an inquiry by the paper about peoples experiences. I am in the process of a slow closure of my account of more then 20 years. Only reason its a slow closure is I have stuff that is automatic and therefore I have to be 100% certain everything is switched before I just close it out.

Worst experience ever and will be switching to Bank of Bennington! commented Melissa Foucher.

Closed my accounts after 33 years before the transition, commented Karen Curran. Horrible experience with staff known to me for years ... Management was less than useless.

Ed Woods, treasurer of the Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District, said Wednesday he had some unsettling moments during the transition for six bank accounts he oversees involving payroll and general funding for the regional districts schools.

At one point, he said, Im transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars and there is no one to help me.

Woods added that he was on hold for two hours trying to connect with people at the bank.

He eventually did connect with Lori Terrien, in the banks Burlington office. Shes the banks government banking manager, with whom he worked in the past.

Woods said hes now assured all [the districts] money is in the right place.

Reto Pieth, of Grafton, who contacted the Brattleboro Reformer after the weekend of the accounts changeover, said his issues have now been resolved.

The whole thing was just so confusing, he said Wednesday, referring to instructions and information sent to customers prior to the changeover. And you could never get through to anyone [by phone].

Pieth said a message on the banks phone system continually said they were receiving a high volume of calls but that someone would get back to him, but no one did.

He had trouble learning whether or when he should be using a new bank debit card sent to customers or his old one from Peoples United, and whether an expected new bank routing number for transfers was activated or the old one should be used.

A teller he initially talked to also seemed confused about the debit card issue, he said.

Kevin Gaffney, Vermonts commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, said he has spoken to a top M&T Bank official in Vermont, attempting to get more clarity on the situation.

While M&T Bank is regulated on the state level by a similar New York entity, Gaffney said his department has fielded complaints from Vermonters and has been in communication with both New York regulators and M&T Bank officials.

Gaffney said he could not speak for the bank, but that it was his understanding M&Ts newly combined banking platform and system had issues with consumer accounts after information on thousands of accounts was entered.

Many customers apparently were able to access their new accounts, Gaffney said he learned, but many others needed sort of hand-holding, and this has taken time ... I think this is something they just have to work through.

The Department of Financial Regulation intends to post notices if they are received from the bank relating to the changeover, Gaffney said. One notice he believes is likely is that bank customers will be reimbursed for any late fees incurred while an M&T Bank account cant be accessed.

Not all of the comments received by the Reformer and Banner were negative.

No transition is without glitches, however getting upset at the workers, is just not a solution, said Banner Facebook commenter Andrew J. Tarantino. Take a breath and think about how difficult, it is for the people working, at all these new branches. They are having to deal with a new banking system, as well as every customer, who has a problem with their online banking.

I have to say that I just had an unexpectedly pleasant experience on the phone with someone at M&T, a woman commented recently on a Brattleboro Facebook discussion page. I had an ATM card not show up during their turnover, and called to get it replaced (rather than stand in line at the bank with every other angry customer yesterday). The human I spoke to on the phone was incredibly understanding and helpful ... Replaced card & expedited (and waived that fee) within minutes. They divulged to me that they had also been transferred over from Peoples and were learning pretty much on the fly. They (like us) are navigating a new system; but unlike us, theyre not being met with much patience and understanding.

See more here:

People's Bank transition to M&T Bank still a work in progress - Brattleboro Reformer

Human Rights CouncilFifty-first session12 September7 October 2022Agenda items 2 and 4Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Human rights situations that require the Councils attention

Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Summary

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/46/21, this report: assesses actions taken by various actors following release of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmars 2019 conference room paper on the economic interests of the Myanmar military; identifies continuing and emerging challenges; and uses examples to highlight relevant issues.

I. Introduction and methodology

In resolution A/HRC/RES/46/21, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to provide the Council at its fiftyfirst session a comprehensive report on progress made and challenges remaining with regard to recommendations made by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) in its 2019 conference room paper on the economic interests of the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw), and to provide further recommendations.1

In its paper, the FFM determined that the ability of the military and its leadership to draw on various sources of revenue enabled its conduct, including perpetration of serious international crimes. The FFM investigated five areas of the militarys economic interests, came to conclusions, and listed implicated individuals and companies in separate annexes. Its recommendations were targeted at seven groups of actors. Updates and responses to the original paper are publicly available.2

This report assesses actions taken by various actors following release of the FFMs paper until 31 July 2022, identifies continuing and emerging challenges, and uses examples to highlight relevant issues.

This report was prepared using open-source material collected and subjected to credibility assessments, including Myanmar Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) databases, corporate records, public reports containing first-hand information from credible and reliable sources, and satellite imagery and analysis. In addition to an open call for submissions,3 all named entities (26 States, 41 companies, and 11 institutions) were contacted to the extent possible during the drafting process. All 42 submissions received were duly considered. Remote interviews were also conducted with subject matter experts, civil society actors and journalists. Notes from these confidential meetings are on file. Given the grave security risks that individuals in Myanmar face since the military launched its coup,4 OHCHR prioritized the safety of all interlocutors above other considerations.

See the rest here:

Progress made and remaining challenges with regard to the recommendations of the independent international factfinding mission on Myanmar...

ByHub staff report

The release of Johns Hopkins' second diversity, equity, and inclusion plan last winter has been followed by a flurry of sustained activity over the past several months, as leaders, DEI practitioners, and others across the university work toward the 24 goals articulated in the document.

Realizing our Promise: The Second JHU Roadmap on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, JHU's vision for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the university over the next five years, is an ambitious and wide-ranging document that aims to build on the progress of JHU's first diversity plan, to address identified gaps, and to elevate the university's diversity efforts to a new level.

Katrina Caldwell

Vice provost for diversity and inclusion

"At Johns Hopkins we strive to be a model of a pluralistic society in which we acknowledge, embrace, and engage diverse identities, perspectives, and experiences," begins the new universitywide Statement of Principles on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, an important foundational milestone for diversity strategic planning activities across the university that was adopted in December when JHU's board of trustees endorsed the Roadmap. "We seek to build and buttress an inclusive intellectual and physical environment to ensure that all members of our community know with certainty that they belong at Johns Hopkins. And we aspire to equitably share the benefits and burdens of dismantling persistent systemic barriers to individual and communal success."

To that end, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion has been leading ongoing implementation planning at both the university and divisional levels to outline the steps needed to accomplish the Roadmap goals. ODI has shared a preliminary timeline for the plan, culminating in the university's first annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit, to be held in the fall of 2023.

"This Roadmap reflects a deliberative and inclusive process shaped by the insights and ideas of a broad and diverse group of Hopkins employees, students, alumni, and neighbors," said Katrina Caldwell, the university's vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. "But our work is just beginningreaching these goals and realizing the full promise of this institution will require collaboration, accountability, and a shared commitment to building a culture of belonging and success for all."

Notably, two programs that aim to bring diverse scholars to the university's campuses, with a particular focus in science, technology, engineering, and math fields, made major strides in recent months. The Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative, a $150 million effort to address historic underrepresentation in STEM disciplines, has welcomed an inaugural cohort of 20 scholars from a group of more than 200 applicants. These scholars, recruited from historically black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions, will arrive later this summer to begin pursuing Hopkins PhDs in STEM fields.

A complementary faculty recruiting effort, the Fannie Gaston-Johansson Faculty of Excellence Program, was announced in May. This programnamed for longtime School of Nursing faculty member Fannie Gaston-Johansson, the first Black woman to become a tenured professor at Johns Hopkinswill bring 30 diverse scholars to the university, with a concentration in areas where diversity among faculty has lagged, particularly in the natural and biological sciences.

Additional progress related to the Roadmap's 24 institutional goals includes:

Academic and operational divisional partners are currently preparing and finalizing their goals to be shared broadly later this semester.

More information about the Roadmap is available on the university's Diversity and Inclusion website, including a high-level implementation timeline and a status update on 10 goals identified for early action. Timelines for the Roadmap's full set of 24 goals will be posted later this semester.

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University makes progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion goals - The Hub at Johns Hopkins

Q. Youve noted that we continued to make progress even during the pandemic, which posed enormous challenges. What lessons did you learn about managing the unexpected alongside longer-term planning?

A. Whats great about a strategic plan especially one that reflects community input and priorities, as ours does is that it can serve as a North Star when unanticipated challenges arise, or as circumstances change over time. Our vision and goals remain the same, but new opportunities can arise that werent originally in the plan, and we may even discover that some of our initial ideas, which were meant to be tested and modified if necessary, just wont work.

And I think you also have to keep your eyes open for opportunities. To cite one example, we have been in conversation with the governors office and legislators, as well as private philanthropists, about the construction and programming for a new Institute for Biotechnology, which would be a state-of-the-art and first-of-its-kind translational research program in the commonwealth designed to accelerate discoveries and translate them from the research laboratory to clinical care so that patients have access to the most promising treatments available. This specific institute wasnt articulated in the original strategic plan, per se, but it clearly aligns with one of the five major interdisciplinary research investment areas in the plan precision medicine so its an opportunity we have been actively pursuing.

Scientific discovery can also present new avenues for growth. For example, our Grand Challenges investments in the brain and neuroscience and in environmental resilience and sustainability include new interdisciplinary faculty, support for postdoctoral students and practitioners, funding for projects currently underway or just getting started, and data analytics. Its exciting to think about what new avenues those investments may open but hard to predict.

Its fitting that ouraspirationis to be the verybest publicuniversityin the country, and tobe a university that isboth greatand good.

Jim RyanPresident

Q. The Emmet-Ivy corridor is an excellent visual marker for progress. You can see the work as it happens. What are some parts of the plan being executed that arent as obvious, but are just as important?

A. Emmet-Ivy is incredibly exciting for a number of reasons, even beyond the idea that the corridor will physically bridge Central and North Grounds and the Athletics Precinct. It will be the home of the new Karsh Institute of Democracy, which will synthesize our existing efforts to study and strengthen democracies around the world, and which will make UVA a hub of this work. It will house a new performing arts center, drawing talent from around the world to the Charlottesville-Albemarle region, and enriching the arts landscape for all of us on Grounds.

Weve already broken ground on the School of Data Science, which will extend far beyond the walls of its physical home there schools across the University will work with data scientists to realize the promise of data to improve society. And to make sure that Emmet-Ivy becomes a welcoming destination for visitors, we are building a state-of-the-art hotel and conference center along the Ivy Road entrance corridor. In addition to a restaurant, caf, and a visitors center, the ground floor will become a spacious living room, intended to be a place for people to gather, meet, or study.

But there are other markers of progress that are just as important, even if they feel a little more abstract. I think at the top of that list is our progress toward our Honor the Future campaign, which has been quite successful and has raised more than $4 billion for top priorities, including more than $1 billion for scholarships and faculty chairs, a key component of the strategic plan. UVA Health has launched new partnerships and opened a new orthopedics center. Weve expanded educational opportunities, both in person and online, for working adults in the commonwealth and beyond through programs like UVA Edge and our expansion into Northern Virginia with the UVA NOVA campus. Weve invested in our staff, creating new awards like Hoos Building Bridges, and looking at the future of work. And weve assisted UVA Wise with a major new strategic planning effort.

Q. The Great and Good Plan aims to tackle complex issues, not the least of which is UVAs relationship and partnership with the Charlottesville community. What have you learned about this part of the work during the first few years?

A. This has honestly been some of my favorite work. Its been quite meaningful to me to engage with our community as true partners in service to a common goal to make our community as strong and equitable as possible. The pandemic reminded us that Charlottesville and Albemarle are not separate from UVA our futures and fortunes are intertwined and we are fortunate to have wonderful community leaders willing to give their time and expertise to this goal.

Im looking forward to more great work from the Presidents Council on UVA-Community Partnerships, which met throughout the pandemic. We opened the Center for Community Partnerships in downtown Charlottesville during November of 2020, and have seen progress accelerate since then, including on affordable housing and creating more employment opportunities for residents of Charlottesville. Well be working on education initiatives and public health in the months ahead, as working groups deliver their final reports and recommendations.

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Q&A: Jim Ryan Assesses 'Great and Good' Progress and the Road Ahead - UVA Today