While the Board of Visitors broke ground on numerous buildings this year and finally approved plans for the highly anticipated South Lawn Project, it also continued its efforts to create a more diverse University community.
According to Rector Thomas F. Farrell, II, there has been an ongoing program within the Board to implement diversity initiatives. This year, the Board was introduced to Bill Harvey, newly hired vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity.
"We're very pleased about that," said Farrell.
According to Harvey, who was presented to the Board in October, he works with the Special Committee on Diversity in order to construct the agenda and present information on the state of the University in terms of its diversity and how that situation might be improved.
"It's an important way to keep them informed," Harvey said.
Harvey added that, so far this year, the main focus of the committee has been on the lack of administrative diversity within the University.
"Last time we talked to [the Board] about the diversity of the faculty and how to use more university resources to engage minority entrepreneurs," Harvey said.
In order to fully assess how faculty diversity might be improved, experts in this area have been hired to evaluate each school in the University.
"We have external experts that will start in the fall meeting with deans, faculty and students, and from those meetings, they'll make reports that will include some observations and recommendations to try to get a more diverse faculty here," Harvey said.
In addition, each expert will be from a specific background.
"The expert for Arts & Sciences will be from an arts and sciences background," Harvey said. "So rather than one massive report, it will be a series of papers they will be developing for me."
According to Farrell, the University has made great strides in its procurement of minority women contractors.
"We had a successful year this year and last year," he said. "We have a long way to go but we're making progress."
At its next meeting this June, Harvey said he will present information regarding the public relations of the University.
"At that meeting we will talk about communication strategies and ways to get messages out to community and nation about activities taking place on Grounds that promote diversity," Harvey said.
Farrell noted that this summer, the Board will also be evaluating its strategic planning process, which is an attempt to "identify where the University should be in 10 years compared to its peer institutions and its underlying missions."
According to Farrell, the Board will hear a preliminary report in July from the Special Committee on Planning and will then hear a final report in January.
The goal of the strategic planning process is to "identify differences, how to change the differences, and how to fund this," Farrell said.
The Board is scheduled to meet June 8-10 and will have a retreat July 28-29.
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