Natalie Gross became the Director of Civic Engagement and Social Justice at Lang in February 2019.
Before she came to the New School, she was the Director of Diversity and Campus Engagement at Sarah Lawrence College. The New School Free Press sat down with Gross to talk about her plans for the future.
Social justice is at the core of Lang’s educational mission. What are some of your past experiences with social justice and how will they influence your time at the New School?
At my previous institution, Sarah Lawrence College, the way we talked about social justice was about diversity, inclusion work and raising awareness. Social justice at The New School feels a little bit different because it also revolves around helping create institutional change through workshops and professional development for students, staff, and faculty. The work I did before was geared toward students and providing space for them to engage in dialogue around social identities, and I plan to do the same and more here at the New School.
What kinds of institutional support do you need to have in order to achieve your goals?
I would say that I feel very supported in Lang. I feel like I have a lot of space within this office to dream, to imagine, and most importantly, to try. This space allows us to see who is willing to have these conversations, and we can think about the challenges we may face in the future. Some of my challenges at my previous institution were lack of budget and lack of institutional support to do this work for students, faculty, and staff. I don’t feel those limitations here at all. Not to say we have an astronomical budget, but we have room to buy food for meetings, get materials as needed, and get additional training as needed, and we have prepared to lead these workshops.
What do you wish was different about the student experience of higher education?
I wish that students had more opportunities to see folks of color in various positions of authority. When you think about predominantly white institutions, the folks of color that you typically see are usually some sort of service staff, such as food or cleaning; they all wear a uniform of some sort. I wish that there was a diversity in leadership, which ideally, would lead to a diversity of thought, and diversity in perspective and lens.
Sarah Lawrence is a small liberal arts college located in a small town. Does Lang’s urban setting influence the social justice and civic engagement mission at all?
What I love about New York is that feels overwhelming and small at the same time. I would say that the thing about New York, people know each other, that’s where it feels small. Connections are very easy, which is great. Folks in New York want to connect, even if it’s brief. People definitely want to show support. For me, navigating a city open to making connections is so exciting, because the needs and possibilities are endless.
What does civic engagement mean to you?
I think to be civically engaged, in terms of your community, [we need to ask]: How do we start connections at home? If we think about Lang as our home, how are we connecting with faculty, staff, and students, to think about what their needs are, what kind of relationships can we create so students can feel comfortable coming to us if they have issues in the classroom or elsewhere? It’s about building relationships outside the New School, as well, to open up limitless possibilities.
In your opinion, what is the best way that students can create change within the Lang community?
Creating change starts with where you are. Some people may think that they do not have a community here, but if you know five people and you are constantly communicating with those people, you have a community here.