Writings & Remarks

2020-21 Update: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Hamilton

June 15, 2021

Tags Public Statements

Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,

One year ago, I announced a renewed and more comprehensive plan of action to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Hamilton, and I identified three steps we would take: host listening sessions and form an Advisory Council; expedite a new equity and inclusion plan; and increase resources. These steps were intended to accelerate the work already being done to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus community. I am writing to update you on some of the progress we have made.

Last March, the Advisory Council presented the campus with more than two dozen proposals aimed at fostering a more inclusive and equitable College community. Chief among those proposals was creating a full-time chief diversity officer position, reporting to the president, to help build and coordinate efforts to advance DEI at Hamilton. Since my last message pertaining to DEI initiatives at Hamilton, the College has identified a search firm to work with administrators, students, faculty, and staff to fill this position. Now that the firm has been chosen, the process for identifying and recruiting an appropriate candidate can begin. You can expect to hear soon how interested members of the community can participate.

Many other steps have been taken in the past year. Some were already in process, and some began more recently. Here are some highlights:

• We have recruited an extraordinary entering class. While the exact composition of the Class of 2025 may shift slightly over the summer, we expect to set new records in the percentages of U.S. students of color, first-generation to attend college students, and Pell-eligible students.
• We added four new faculty members from ethnically or racially diverse backgrounds in 2020-21, and the College is committed to continuing this progress. The dean of faculty has also dedicated a dean’s discretionary position to the teaching of transnational race and gender in 2021-22. In addition, Human Resources has added a commitment to diversity statement to the College’s position description template and increased recruitment advertising in media with diverse readership. The College is also intensifying its focus on retaining underrepresented faculty and staff.
• Hamilton Academy, a professional learning initiative for faculty and staff that foregrounds inclusive pedagogies, launched in January 2021. The Academy’s many offerings include a variety of DEI-related programs, such as the six-part workshop, “Belonging at Work,” hosted by professional DEI consultant Rhodes Perry.
• A new DEI website launched last fall will continue to be expanded and refreshed with easy-to-find references and resources. A dashboard will be added to show the College’s progress toward measurable DEI objectives.
• Communications & Marketing invited Hamilton alumna and CNN producer Edvige Jean-Francois ’90 to serve as guest editor for the latest edition of Hamilton magazine. This special issue, We Are Hamilton, included personal contributions written by more than 20 Black alumni and community members, and has sparked a series of follow-up programs and conversations among alumni and other members of our community.
• The College’s Communications Style Guide was refreshed for inclusive language and respectful and consistent references to specific populations and identities, and a new working group is being formed to ensure this exercise is completed on an annual basis.
• In October, the College’s Board of Trustees welcomed three alumni of color as new charter trustees. Mason P. Ashe ’85, Manal Ataya ’01, and Sharon D. Madison ’84 are already actively contributing their experiences, perspectives, and talents in invaluable ways. The Board is committed to further increasing the diversity of its membership.
• Last fall Hamilton joined the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance as one of 51 inaugural members. As part of this alliance, Hamilton will sponsor participation by our community members in three climate surveys: one for students, one for staff at all levels, and one for faculty (including full-time, adjunct, and part-time instructors). The employee surveys will focus on topics such as perceptions of equitable opportunities for promotion and advancement; mattering and sense of belonging; how different groups experience the workplace environment differently; encounters with racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other –isms at work; satisfaction with the College’s responses to reports of abuse, unfair treatment, and climate problems; and appraisals of the institution’s commitment to equity. LACRELA hosts monthly programs on DEI topics that address racial equity, campus systems of oppression, and curricular issues, among others, which Hamilton faculty and staff members may attend.
• A staff opening created an opportunity to rework some support services for students. Allen Harrison will move to Academic Support Services and his position will focus on accessibility for students with disabilities. We will also hire a director of international student services to support our international students. This position will report into Student Life.
• Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, Martin Luther King Day will be added as a College holiday for staff.

The College is also continuing to identify and apply for external grants to fund faculty and other positions related to DEI; reviewing the SSIH requirement and bolstering its implementation; and identifying opportunities, resources, and support to augment how the curriculum includes and explores the histories, identities, and voices of traditionally underrepresented communities. As the current chief diversity officer (CDO), Dean Terry Martinez continues to track progress toward our diversity goals. Once a new CDO is on board, work will begin on a new comprehensive, multi-year DEI Strategic Plan, which will include input from a diverse group of Hamilton community members.

Much has been done to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Hamilton, but much work remains to be done to become more fully welcoming and inclusive for all in our community. I look forward to working with you toward that goal.

David