Update on Efforts to Examine Racism at CC

Dear Faculty and Staff,

As we wrap up the academic year, I wanted to update the community on efforts to critically examine racism at CC and to make our community a more inclusive place for all of our students, faculty, and staff. To fulfill our mission of providing the finest liberal arts education, we are taking a number of actions.

First, in the spirit of our mission and our commitment to life-long learning, we will continue to educate ourselves. Members of the cabinet will engage in a workshop on anti-bias and anti-racism at their retreat this month, and in June a national expert who works with higher education boards on diversity and inclusion will conduct training with the CC Board of Trustees.

Multiple sessions of the Excel at CC program Good to Great: The Journey to Inclusion at CC will be available over the summer; see the schedule and register. To date, 41 percent of faculty and 25 percent of staff have participated in this excellent program. The Butler Center is also offering educational anti-bias and anti-racist sessions called "Toward A Daily Anti-Racist Agenda." You may register for one of these sessions here. I ask and expect all faculty and staff to participate in both of these initiatives this summer and into the fall.

Additionally, the Office of the Dean of the Faculty will provide resources to academic departments and programs to support discipline-specific inclusion workshops so faculty can engage with these issues within the context, content, and lens of their own disciplines.

Second, a special review examining racism at CC will be conducted by an external team. This review, which will be managed by a steering committee of students, faculty, and staff, will look at campus policies, practices, structures, and communications, as well as our academic program and co-curricular experience. The process will begin in the fall, as it is critical to include interviews with campus community members.

Finally, to become a more diverse and equitable community, it is important to recognize the experiences and contributions of persons of color who have helped shape CC. This summer we will begin the People's History at CC project. Three student interns will work on capturing the untold stories and contributions of persons of color at CC; these important histories will be featured on our website and in other communications. The Butler Center and Communications will coordinate this ongoing project.

All of this work is crucial to building a community that sees, hears, respects, and honors everyone. Please join me in these important efforts.

Sincerely,

BB5sig

President Jill Tiefenthaler

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