17³Ô¹Ï

The 17³Ô¹ÏDEI Task Force delivered its report to the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees at the May 15-16 meetings. The primary work of the Task Force between September 2020 and May 2021 was to focus on recommendations for improving 17³Ô¹Ïdiversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), particularly as pertain to North American scholars who are Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color (BIPOC), identify ways these objectives could be integrated across the organization, and establish a permanent body that could oversee this and other DEI work. Click here to see the original charge.

After much research and consultation over the last academic year, the Task Force made several recommendations for consideration by 17³Ô¹Ïleadership and the 17³Ô¹Ïstanding committees, including (though not limited to):

Based on the Task Force recommendations, the Board voted to extend the life of the Task Force through November 2021. Furthermore, the Board charged President Sharon Hebert, in consultation with the Task Force and Vice President Charles Jones, to develop a charge for a new standing 17³Ô¹ÏDEI committee to be functioning no later than January 2022. This new committee will be a part of the CCC and work alongside other 17³Ô¹Ïcommittees, the 17³Ô¹ÏOffice, and 17³Ô¹Ïgovernance to implement the Task Force recommendations.

Throughout the next several months the Task Force will help create the permanent, DEI Standing Committee, will collaborate with 17³Ô¹Ïleadership and standing committees as they finalize their DEI objectives and the new 17³Ô¹Ïstrategic plan, and will communicate with 17³Ô¹Ïmembership about Task Force recommendations and next steps on how to get involved.

The Task Force would like to thank all of the interviewees and organizations who contributed to these findings and the Early Career Scholars, the Initiative for the Status of Women, 17³Ô¹Ïleadership, the 17³Ô¹ÏOffice, and 17³Ô¹Ïmembers who initiated this work and provided feedback over the last year.