I am pleased to share with you two important summaries of key themes and recommendations that will help to guide our campus diversity planning efforts institutionally. These documents were developed through two separate, but related, processes:
- With the help of the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) Learning Community Facilitators, we had the privilege of hosting the largest pre-diversity plan roundtable discussion in the history of UW-Madison at this year’s Diversity Forum on Oct. 12. A total of 265 individuals filled out response cards to the three questions asked at the meeting. Those questions were: (a) Based on what has been shared so far moving forward what are two recommendations you have for diversity goals and priorities at UW-Madison? (b) What needs to be in place to ensure that these recommendations are implemented? And (c) what might be your role in this to ensure implementation? To view the summary, go to: Diversity Forum Fall 2012, Recommendation Themes.
- Student leaders on the Campus Diversity and Climate Committee, in collaboration with the ASM Diversity Committee, gathered 142 comments from student leaders who provided perspective and recommendations regarding campus diversity goals, and priorities. To view the summary, go to: Student Diversity Plan Input from Nov. 13, 2012.
We provide these two documents to provide a sense of the many themes that emerged from our community, and to provide a starting point for the campus diversity discussion that will ensue from here.
Before the end of this semester, the Campus Diversity and Climate Committee (CDCC), in collaboration with shared governance leadership, will identify an ad-hoc committee to begin developing a new UW-Madison Diversity Plan. CDCC Co-chair Prof. Marlys Macken and my office have been reaching out to various communities for nominations and will continue to do so. We now join in inviting you — the campus community — to participate in making nominations for appointment to the diversity planning ad hoc committee. We hope that you will offer names for consideration and potential participation on the committee by Monday, Dec. 10.
As we look toward the future, this will not be a plan executed in isolation, but will rely upon the insights attached to this document, open-forum listening sessions hosted during the second semester, campus planning documents developed by the HR Redesign process, the Native American Taskforce, Educational Innovation efforts, the Intergroup Dialogue and Community Building Working Group, and numerous others. At the end of the day, I know that we will develop a great plan, but the key will be the degree to which we develop a best-practice approach to establishing a framework for accountability, building incentives into out process for implementation, and dedicating material resources to drive our change efforts institutionally.
Thank you to everyone who is supporting and participating in this work. We look forward to our process to come.
Damon A. Williams, Ph.D.