The Wofford College Board of Trustees has given its support to moving forward on the initial recommendations presented by the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) steering committee.
The JEDI Committee presented preliminary data from its listening sessions, surveys and research to the Board of Trustees in February, and to the larger Wofford community during a March 11 town hall.
Wofford established the 16-member committee during the summer of 2020 to spend a year focusing on recommendations for a strategic plan and vision for a more equitable and just Wofford for the future.
The committee’s five initial recommendations are:
- Hire a cabinet-level vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to oversee all DEI initiatives, support Title IX and bias incident functions and have an advisory role over hiring practices.
- Increase the budget and staffing for the college’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and increase staffing and/or resources in other DEI areas.
- Continue the Teach.Equity.Now. Fellows program that supports a cohort of 20 faculty and/or staff each year. The program trains educators to incorporate racial equity principles in Wofford’s classrooms and campus culture.
- Join the Universities Studying Slavery Consortium, which was started by the University of Virginia for institutions to share best practices and guiding principles while addressing the history of slavery and racism in institutional histories.
- Establish a fund to create historical markers, plaques, creative/digital displays and a new Wofford history book to authentically acknowledge and engage Wofford’s past and tell an inclusive story that highlights the complex lived experiences of women, people of color and other historically underrepresented groups that have helped make Wofford what it is today.
The committee and its work groups are continuing to meet and will make their final report to the Board of Trustees in May.