In a strong show of support for the Special Committee on Diversity's recommendation to establish a chief officer for diversity and equity at the University, President John T. Casteen, III announced during Friday's Board of Visitors meeting that money had been set aside in the budget to fund the position.
In the first public announcement of their findings, Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life Angela M. Davis and University Prof. Michael J. Smith, co-chairs of the President's Commission on Diversity and Equity, presented an oral report to the Board and the president at the Board's annual meeting.
Formed in April of 2003, the commission was charged with evaluating University programs that address issues of diversity and equity, identifying gaps in programs and developing a best-practice model for improving academic and employment opportunities for under-represented populations at the University.
"We don't want a laundry list of ideas," Smith said of the working commission's efforts. "We want a program of sustainable action."
In the report, titled "Embracing Diversity in Pursuit of Excellence", Davis and Smith outlined a number of key recommendations, foremost of which was the establishment of a chief officer for diversity and equity who would report directly to the president, coordinate programs and serve as a locus of accountability for all divisions of the University.
"We have a lot of goodwill at the institution around these issues and a lot of people doing good work, but we don't have any one person that goes across student life issues, academic issues and staffing issues," Davis said. "We need someone with that high level of visibility and accountability."
Following a lively discussion during which several Board members expressed their support for such a chief officer, President Casteen announced that funds had been set aside in the budget to fund the position and an office for diversity and equity.
Davis and Smith highlighted a number of other key initiatives developed by the commission's four subcommittees such as implementing a program like Sustained Dialogue during the first-year experience to foster conversations on race, culture and ethics.
Other recommendations were to expand Equal Opportunity Program workshops for all personnel involved in hiring, and to create a "Community Engagement Program" to provide students with incentives to participate in specific academic and cultural programs and community service.
Smith said the variety of recommendations at the student, faculty and administrative level reflected the idea that the entire University community should be involved in "embracing diversity."
"Every student, every faculty member has their part to play," Smith said. "We want all of us to embrace this challenge and not think someone else is going to do it."
Both Smith and Davis said that one ongoing challenge for the commission and the University is to coordinate the efforts being made at the University.
"Many people may be unaware of the good work that's going on in other parts of the University," Smith said. "If you look at the whole picture, it doesn't look as good as it should be. That's one of the reasons this chief officer can help."
The President's Commission on Diversity and Equity is currently in the process of writing its full report, which will be presented to President Casteen for consideration in September.
The Board of Visitors closed its two-day meeting on Saturday morning by passing a unanimous resolution that praised Casteen for his leadership on diversity issues and thanked and encouraged the commission "to continue to be bold in its initiatives."
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