As diversity increases at William & Mary, we recognize that metrics and milestones alone do not define a community that is actually welcoming and inclusive for all its members.

In spring 2015, President Reveley charged a 21-member task force, comprised of alumni, students, faculty and staff, with examining (1) the overall racial climate on campus and how it is experienced by individual members of the community, (2) ways to more successfully recruit and retain racially diverse faculty and senior administration, (3) measures to educate the campus community about racial insensitivity and discrimination and how to prevent both, and (4) the most effective reporting and remedial actions when an instance of racial prejudice occurs.

The task force worked at its charge for a year, submitting in spring 2016 a 112-page report with 51 recommendations. Some of them could be adopted immediately, while others require more thought and time for the implementation team.

Immediate actions included (1) the establishment of a $1 million hiring initiative to increase faculty diversity, the largest programmatic investment made that fiscal year, (2) the renaming of two campus buildings for persons of color, (3) strengthening practices around diversity in hiring, training and assessing campus climate, (4) mandatory diversity training for faculty and staff as well as expanding diversity training for students, (5) engaging an external consultant to better understand the concerns of African American employees, and (6) establishing an ongoing implementation team to continue the work of the task force.

Chon Glover