Some Loyola students were left devastated when news broke that Vice President of Equity and Inclusion Kedrick Perry would be ending his tenure at Loyola.
Perry officially left the university Aug. 15 for a new position as Chief Equity Officer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard after serving almost three years at Loyola, according to an email sent by University President Xavier Cole on Aug. 10.
“It’s an exciting new adventure but one that I’m ready for, and that I thank God for,” Perry said.
Even with the excitement of this new journey for Perry, he still holds Loyola dear to him, making his departure one of mixed feelings.
“I love my students here, I love the colleagues I have worked with here, and I love the spirit of the University. So leaving is a very hard thing. But I’m also excited for the next stages of my career,” Perry said.
In his time at Loyola, Perry set and accomplished many goals, including the creation of the Multicultural Resource Center at Loyola, a social justice J-term study abroad opportunity in Mexico City, and increasing the faculty of color at the university.
“I hope that my legacy here is that we have expanded diversity, that we have maintained inclusivity here,” he said.
Marketing and finance junior Ari Jackson was among the students who were left upset by this news.
Jackson said Perry held an important role in making her experience as a person of color at Loyola better.
“Being at Loyola, black students and multicultural students, we don’t have that many people that look like us in admin and professors that we can rely on and who relate to us just on being a minority here,” she said. “Just having [Perry’s] face and knowing that he is here for us and the students has made, in my experience, me feel more open in spaces that I take up.”
Jackson said Loyola won’t be the same for her without Perry. She began tearing up speaking about his departure.
“He really advocated for us and what we needed, especially for being a minority on campus,” she said. “He was basically an outlet for us.”
Perry said his relationship with students is something he cherishes and will bring with him to The Broad Institute.
“I’m definitely bringing all of the things my students have given me because it’ll always remind me that Loyola is always a home for me,” he said.
Jackson said this news was even more devastating after the firing of Scott Heath, the head of the African American studies program, last semester.
“It just sucks that we’re getting a little bit limited on staff that kind of advocates for students – especially black students and students of color,” she said.
Jackson said she hopes the university will find someone who can fill the “giant shoes” Perry is leaving, as this position is one that is important on campus.
“It just means that we’re seen and we’re heard. It puts us one step closer to the admin and the president and you know everyone who doesn’t have contact with us everyday. [That position] is our voice,” she said.
The students are what Perry is most grateful for at Loyola.
“I’m very blessed to have come to Loyola and work with so many faculty [members] but I’m especially blessed to work with students who I cherish and will continue to pray for,” Perry said.
