The College today announced the creation of three linked working groups to review existing efforts to foster greater diversity among Dartmouth’s faculty, staff, and student body, and to propose ways to improve and assess the work as it progresses.
(Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)
“Our engagement with the full human diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences is critical—to both the strength of the Dartmouth community and the effectiveness of Dartmouth’s learning and leadership,” said President Phil Hanlon ’77 and Provost Carolyn Dever in announcing the initiative for inclusive excellence on Wednesday.
President Hanlon and Dever, whom Hanlon has charged with heading the College effort to ensure a diverse and inclusive community, called the creation of the three working groups a concrete step toward these goals.
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“The full realization of this community’s diversity cannot take the form of isolated initiatives; it must inform all of our work at Dartmouth,” said Hanlon and Dever. “Today, people and programs across campus dedicate themselves to making Dartmouth an inclusive institution in which differences—of race and ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, socioeconomic status, and thought, among others—are recognized, valued, and celebrated. While these efforts are crucial to our success, we must make sure that they are fully aligned, well coordinated, clearly communicated, and understood by all.”
As a concrete step, Hanlon and Dever said, any gaps in coordination, communication, and accountability across the institution must be addressed. “To that end, we are announcing the creation of three linked working groups to study existing data and initiatives in these areas at Dartmouth, as well as best practices in higher education across the nation,” they said.
The working groups will include faculty, students, and staff, including the administrative leaders primarily responsible for recruitment and retention in each area. Each working group will have a chair. They are:
- Faculty working group: Denise Anthony, vice provost for academic initiatives
- Student working group: Rebecca Biron, dean of the College, and Inge-Lise Ameer, vice provost for student affairs, co-chairs
- Staff working group: Ahmed Mohammed, director of talent acquisition, Human Resources
Students, faculty, and staff who would like to nominate themselves or others to serve on any one of the working groups can send email, by Friday, Feb. 5, to the following addresses:
- Students: diversity.students@dartmouth.edu
- Faculty: diversity.faculty@dartmouth.edu
- Staff: diversity.staff@dartmouth.edu
Working group appointments will be made by the chairs in consultation with the academic deans and an executive committee that includes Executive Vice President Rick Mills, Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Evelynn Ellis, Hanlon, and Dever.
The executive committee will seek input from alumni, in partnership with Advancement (Chief Operating Officer for Advancement Ann Root Keith and Assistant Director, Affiliated and Shared Interest Groups Derikka Mobley ’10). The executive committee will be responsible for carrying the recommendations forward and reporting to the community by the end of the 2016 spring term with the identified next steps.
“The engagement of the entire Dartmouth community is vital to the working groups’ success, and to Dartmouth’s ability to reach the full potential of its mission,” said Hanlon and Dever in Wednesday’s announcement.