The campus community is invited to the Men of Color Initiative (MCI) Induction Ceremony to formally introduce the initiative and highlight its members. MCI is a program designed to support, empower and explore issues unique to the Black male student experience. MCI, through mentorship by faculty and staff, promotes leadership development, academic support and service-learning opportunities. MCI strives to empower and develop the next generation of leaders on campus and beyond Syracuse University. The ceremony will include remarks from Dr. Paul M. Buckley.
About Dr. Paul M. Buckley
Dr. Paul M. Buckley holds the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) as essential values and guideposts for his personal and professional journeys. As a thought-leader and strategist in DEIJ, he partners with colleagues, community partners, organizations and agencies to realize equity outcomes and more inclusive cultures where individuals and communities can thrive. Dr. Buckley is Vice President and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center based in Seattle, WA, where he is engaged in anti-racist DEI work to transform organizational culture and structure for the benefit of patients, researchers, clinicians, staff, and administrators. Since beginning his work at Fred Hutch (February 2020), he has laid a deep foundation for sustainable change in healthcare, inclusive excellence in cancer research and treatment, and workplace culture.
Prior to his current role, Dr. Buckley navigated an impactful career in higher education, spanning twenty-five years of service and innovation in several areas including access and retention, multicultural affairs, diversity education, personal and organizational leadership development, mentorship, community engagement, and men’s identity development. Prior to his current role, he was Assistant Vice President and Inaugural Director of The Butler Center (for diversity, equity, inclusion, intercultural exchange, and empowerment) at Colorado College; Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Students at Dartmouth College where he was recognized for excellence in advising and contributions to furthering a dialogic campus on diversity topics; Associate Dean for Student Life at Andrews University where he engaged the campus in a series of conscious raising University Forums centered on social justice themes. At Syracuse University, in 2003, as a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, he co-founded the nationally recognized and award-winning WellsLink Leadership Program, for which he won a Silver Award of Excellence from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) in 2006. Dr. Buckley has been an activator for best practices in student development, leadership and inclusive excellence, and serves as a consultant for diversity and social justice topics in education. He is passionate about developing and facilitating transformative experiences for students and professionals, believing in education as a powerful vehicle for change.
Dr. Buckley earned a Ph.D. in cultural foundations of education from Syracuse University’s School of Education (2012), with a dissertation focused on race discourses and meaning making among college students. Since then, he has presented papers and speeches on various aspects of his work. In 2013, he became a Fellow for the Gender Research Institute at Dartmouth (GRID), furthering his interest in Black masculinities at the intersection of faith commitments. He is a speaker and presenter at inter/national conferences, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) in American higher education. In June 2016, Dr. Buckley was the lead moderator for NCORE’s inaugural pre-conference institute for Student Affairs professionals and remains an annual co-presenter. He was associate faculty for the inaugural CRT (Critical Race Theory) Summer School (2021), hosted by the African American Policy Forum. He serves in several community-based organizations, and statewide and national boards and councils, including the TIAA Diversity & Inclusion Council and Life Science Washington.
Dr. Buckley is mentor to hundreds of youth and young professionals. He believes strongly in the futuristic work of diversity practice, education, and anti-racist praxis. He enjoys hiking, good reads, and great company. He is happily married, and the proud father of three daughters and a son.
