October 27, 2014

Dear Campus Community,

Colorado College is more committed to diversity and inclusion than ever before.

Over the last few weeks, some members of our community have been in touch with me to share concerns about the campus climate and ask what more we can do to build a community that every member - students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents, friends - can feel proud of and connected to. I take these concerns seriously. I write today to affirm my commitment to building a stronger, more inclusive institution; to detail what we are doing to achieve this goal; and to ask for your input.

Our mission is to provide the finest liberal arts education in the country. Building a diverse and inclusive campus community is central to this mission. We want the best minds and the most creative people - faculty, students, staff - to view CC as a top choice for learning, teaching, and working. This requires being a welcoming environment for all. In addition, our mission requires engaging the community in a vibrant exchange of ideas, which thrives when we bring a multitude of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Assembling a diverse campus community with many voices at the table and modeling how to consider the variety of viewpoints in the world respectfully is what a liberal arts education is all about.

The importance of diversity and inclusion to our mission is clearly spelled out in our strategic plan, Building on the Block. Since the plan was launched, two action teams have worked on suggesting and prioritizing specific initiatives to achieve these goals; see "Diverse and Inclusive Campus: Supporting our Students" and "Workplace Excellence." College leadership is now working on making these recommendations come to life. We have made a lot of progress in recent years! In particular, we have more diversity in CC's student body, leadership, faculty, and staff.

We still have much work to do. We must all continue to work hard to cultivate a more inclusive climate here and now.

At CC, there are so many people who are committed to this goal. Throughout Block 3, I am asking the campus community for continued input. I invite you to attend one of the following dialogue sessions. Each one-hour dialogue will be led by the teams listed below. If you cannot attend a dialogue, contact me or any of the individuals listed below for a one-on-one conversation.

For students:

• John Lauer/Rochelle Mason - Monday, Nov. 3, 12:15 -1:15 p.m., Worner 213
• Caitlin Apigian/Alejandro Salazar - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 5:00 p.m., Spencer Boardroom
• Brett Gray/Emily Chan - Tuesday, Nov. 11, 4:00 p.m., TLC3

For staff:

• Barbara Wilson/Mike Edmonds - Monday, Nov. 3, 8:45 a.m., Slocum Commons
• Paul Buckley/Robert Moore - Tuesday, Nov. 11, 4:00 p.m., WES Room
• Heather Horton/Jane Turnis - Tuesday, Nov. 4, 4:00 p.m., Slocum Commons

For faculty:

• Emily Chan/Paul Buckley - junior faculty - Monday, Nov. 3, 4 p.m., Cossitt Faculty Commons
• Sandi Wong/Jill Tiefenthaler - all faculty - Wednesday, Nov. 5, 4 p.m., Cossitt Faculty Commons

In addition, Dean Wong will be leading a session with faculty chairs, Dean Edmonds will lead a conversation with the CCSGA, and I will be getting input from the President's Council, Heads of State (student leadership), college leadership team, Staff Council, FEC, and Board of Trustees.

At the conclusion of these listening sessions, we will share the summary with the campus community.

This is our shared work! More than ever, I invite your commitment and engagement in productive dialogue that will help move Colorado College forward.

Best regards,

Jill