Progress on the gender-neutral bathroom initiative, curricula that teach cross-cultural skills, and allyship and advocacy have earned members of the Clark community recognition for their commitment to advancing equity and inclusion.

Recipients of the 2024 President’s Achievement Awards for Inclusive Excellence are Oliver McCormick ’24, Amy Daly Gardner, MSPC ’05, the Department of Language, Literature, and Culture, and Women’s and Gender Studies. Abbie Goldberg, professor of psychology and the director of Women’s and Gender Studies, received the Distinguished Inclusive Excellence Award, as did McCormick.

The annual awards recognize people, units, or programs that contribute to the advancement of inclusive excellence at the University and in the Worcester community. Awardees designate a $1,500 gift to a program or department of their choice, supporting Clark’s shared commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Members of the Clark community can nominate undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, student organizations, campus offices, departments, centers, academic or administrative programs, and Clark partnerships within the broader Worcester community.

Oliver McCormick

Diversity and inclusion work is an “honor and a necessity” for Oliver McCormick ’24. The sociology major spent their Clark years entrenched in the gender-neutral bathroom initiative and planning programming for gender-diverse students such as the Trans+ and Gender Diverse Support and Discussion Group.

McCormick surveyed Clark buildings to document restroom location, gender markers, and accessibility. They created spreadsheets from that data, which became the University’s all-gender and single-stall bathroom list.

“Any bigotry and violence that we as a community and individuals face is not just anti-trans. It is racist. It is sexist. It is ableist and classist,” says McCormick. “We miss vital parts of our history, of ourselves, and of our future when we characterize our identities and systems of oppression as independent and one-dimensional.”

McCormick was a programming assistant for the Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access and a student member of the Gender and Sexuality Task Force.

Amy Daly Gardner

Amy Daly Gardner, MSPC ’05, feels called to diversity work now more than ever.

The associate dean and director of graduate recruitment shares her journey with colleagues in the hopes that others will be inspired to look inward and examine their biases.

“Throughout my life, I have strived to be an ally and to advocate and fight (when necessary) for the rights and fair treatment of marginalized or vulnerable populations,” she says. “However, I see myself still as a work in progress in need of further development and understanding. I have learned so much from other Clark staff, faculty, and students, especially, over the years.”

Daly Gardner joined Clark in 2000 and has served in various roles centered on international student recruitment and support.

“It sounds cliché, but I feel so strongly that we all need to embrace our role in this work now more than ever,” she says.

Department of Language, Literature, and Culture

In Clark’s Department of Language, Literature, and Culture (LLC), professors of international and transnational backgrounds teach language through groundbreaking cultural research to students who develop cross-cultural skills.

Clark’s language hub has strived to recruit diverse scholars who create and deliver curricula that question the centrality of Western epistemologies and, therefore, become more inclusive. The department has been developing strategies to promote accessible curricular and extracurricular experiences to students and the campus community, also partnering with agencies in Worcester.

LLC offers majors, minors, and concentrations in ASL, Ancient Civilization, Arabic, Chinese, Combined Languages, Comparative Literature, French and Francophone Studies, German, Greek, Japanese, Jewish Studies, Latin, and Spanish.

Women’s and Gender Studies

In Women’s and Gender Studies courses, students explore the intersections of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, class, and ability, drawn from the research of more than 50 faculty members.

Professors of the visual and performing arts, humanities, social sciences, and more help students connect theory with practice on campus, in Worcester, and beyond.

Women’s and Gender Studies is one of seven undergraduate programs affiliated with Clark’s Center for Gender, Race, and Area Studies, a community of faculty and students who study diverse, disadvantaged, or marginalized societies and populations, with an emphasis on promoting social justice.

Professor Abbie Goldberg

Professor Abbie Goldberg is driven by curiosity. Her work is guided by questions: What don’t we know? Whose perspectives and stories are left out?

Goldberg’s research on LGBTQ+ people and families has sought to uplift voices that are often silenced. She’s authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications on diverse families, including LGBTQ families and adoptive families, and has published and edited books including “LGBTQ Family Building: A Guide for Prospective Parents” (2023) and “The (Mis)Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime” (2023).

“At Clark and beyond, I am inspired by people who value others’ gifts and contributions, seek out collaborations with and opportunities to learn from people different from themselves, and hold themselves to a high standard while also leaving space for mistakes and growth,” she says. “I look forward to continuing to create and collaborate with so many valued colleagues, students, and staff.”