Greetings

Greetings ACRED members,

It is a tremendous honor to serve as the Chair of ACRED. I thank my predecessor, Lucrecia R. Moore, ‘92 for all of her dedication and hard work on behalf of ACRED and our University. I look forward to following Lucrecia’s great example. The opportunity to help lay out a path for growth and development for our committee’s work and the future work of our university is one I fully embrace. Also, knowing the commitment and vision of our Vice Chair, Lou Patalano, our subcommittee chairs, and each of our ACRED members reassures me ACRED will continue its tradition of philanthropy, service, leadership, and advocacy. ACRED members bring unique and highly specialized tools, skills, perspectives, and stories to each of our meetings. I never fail to be impressed with your capacity, agency, and heart.

As ambassadors of our University and leaders within our fields, we will carry on our efforts to raise awareness and build a diverse and strong Carolina community required of a “flagship” public university. While our base is fundraising, our heart will remain committed to motivating Carolina’s continued growth as a place for all people. The first initiative of Carolina Next, the University’s strategic framework, is “Build Our Community Together” and we hope our work as a development committee will make an impact in supporting its objectives: Invest in policies, systems, and infrastructure that promote belonging, community, and transparency throughout the University community. We will promote the educational benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion through effective student recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation. Our endeavors will prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, research, and service, and in hiring, evaluation, retention, and promotion of underrepresented faculty and staff. In addition to helping our university community, I will also strive to make ACRED a space where we can learn with and from each of our four subcommittee’s rich and unique history, values, traditions, and dreams. By knowing and understanding each other more authentically, we will better promote the work of each of our sub-committees. Thank you for your commitment to serving and engaging our diverse community. I look forward to the great things that we will accomplish this year.

Sincerely,
Virginia L. Cárdenas, ‘98, ‘06