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From: James Wright, President
To: Members of the Dartmouth Community
Last summer, I asked Provost Scherr to undertake a review of our diversity
initiatives. Because of openings in two key positions, it made sense to do such
a review so that we could be sure that we had the right organization and
structure in place to support our diversity efforts, which are so central to
our educational mission.
Provost Scherr and his committee have now completed that review and in
response to their recommendations, I will make a few adjustments to how we
support diversity at Dartmouth.
First, I will appoint a Vice President for Institutional Diversity who will
report jointly to me and to the Provost. We will look to work to underline the
importance of the position. I have asked Associate Dean for the Humanities Kate
Conley to chair the search for this appointment and she and her committee will
begin that task immediately.
I am delighted to announce that Stuart Lord has graciously agreed to take on
this appointment in the interim while the search is underway. Stuart is the
Virginia Rice Kelsey '61S Dean of the Tucker Foundation and Associate Provost
and oversees the College's extensive service programs and religious and
spiritual life. His deanship has seen the creation of a series of innovative
and imaginative new programs that provide Dartmouth undergraduates and graduate
students with opportunities for service and leadership. He has increased the
number of students participating in outreach and service opportunities
substantially and has cemented Dartmouth's place as a responsible and caring
partner in the Upper Valley and around the world. I know that Stuart will bring
this same level of imagination and energy to his work as the Vice President for
Institutional Diversity.
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, directed by Michelle
Meyers, will report to the Vice President. That office will continue to be
responsible for creating the institutional plans to meet diversity goals and
for handling grievances involving discrimination issues, while the Vice
President has more of an institutional role working with faculty, students, and
staff on programming and other initiatives to enhance the climate on campus for
all members of the community. We are all very grateful to Michelle for all that
she and her colleagues have done over the last several months. They have kept
us resolute in the important task that we all share. I value her contributions
immensely.
In addition, Provost Scherr's committee recommended that the Dean of the
College move forward to find a new director for the Office of Pluralism and
Leadership and that search is now underway. The committee found a continuing
and pressing need for a dedicated position to support undergraduate students.
We expect to be able to make an announcement about that position by early in
the spring.
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