This priority area is focused on building systems and structures that will ultimately improve Dartmouth’s ability to support an inclusive and equitable experience for staff, faculty, and students.
Actions
Establish a Community of Care model to provide a more robust support structure to increase the overall sense of belonging and enhance the campus approach to safety.
We strive to create an environment on campus where all members of the Dartmouth community feel included and have the necessary resources available to them if they are in an unsafe situation. A Community of Care model will establish a coordinated response to incidents directly impacting the campus community, implement an institutional bias reporting system, and create proactive initiatives (e.g., peer-to-peer safe walk programs). Aspects of this model are underway and related initiatives will be in development by Fall 2023.
Continued support for interdisciplinary academic departments, programs, and areas of concentration that focus on underrepresented groups.
Dartmouth values the critical role interdisciplinary studies play in the academic life of the College. This has been demonstrated by the recent move of Native American and Indigenous Studies, African and African American Studies, and Latin American, Latino, & Caribbean Studies from programs to departments. Additionally, Dartmouth continues to support the Program in Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies and is in the process of developing Asian American studies within Arts and Sciences. These programs provide meaningful contributions to the overall academic experience for undergraduate students. Progress toward this action is ongoing and will continue through the duration of the plan.
Realize the stated commitment to establish an Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life.
In response to a letter authored by Black-identified community members at Dartmouth following the national racial unrest in 2020, Dartmouth made a commitment to establish an Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life. The institute will serve as a critical convener and nexus point for the creative, cultural, and scholarly expression of the Black community at Dartmouth, providing an important foundation for the entire community on topics relating to issues of race and Black culture. Efforts related to this initiative are ongoing and plans for the institute to be launched should be realized by Fall 2023.
Standardize and align the collection and reporting of DEI data across divisions and schools.
Establish a cross-functional working group to create mechanisms for disaggregating data and creating clear methodologies to be used when reporting demographic information. This working group will be convened by IDE in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research. This action will be implemented by Summer 2024.
