Dear Members of the George Washington University Community,
Over the summer, President Granberg and I invited faculty to volunteer for working groups that were charged with providing actionable recommendations around a set of identified community challenges, based on the events of last year. The working groups convened multiple times over the summer and submitted their recommendations to the Office of the Provost, which reviewed the recommendations and identified what could be accomplished in the fall semester and longer-term.
The full working group reports are available on the Office of the Provost website. A number of the working groups’ recommendations are already underway at GW. These include the continued development of educational resources and initiatives around free speech and fostering productive dialogue in several divisions, including the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement and the Division for Student Affairs. Recommendations about the intentional coordination among diversity offices university-wide, devoting additional resources to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at GW, and sharing the results of the Diversity Program Review are also underway or complete.
An overview of the rest of the recommendations is below.
This fall, the university will advance the following recommendations:
- Embrace a “free speech within a shared community” vision and begin to consider the development of a comprehensive free speech framework.
- Commit funding to support undergraduate course development around the topic of “engaging free speech within a shared community” and humanitarianism if the course is supported by department chairs and deans.
- Promote lectures for Professor Mark Tessler of the University of Michigan and international law experts, respectively, to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Curate and publicize to students course offerings about humanitarianism at GW, as well as investigate ways for student groups to partner with NGOs involved in humanitarian efforts.
- Conduct listening circles where the group sets norms for conversation, provides ground rules for respectful conversation about difficult topics, includes neutral facilitators, and reports to university leadership on outcomes.
- Establish a committee that provides guidance on socially- and environmentally-responsible investment strategies.
In the future, the university will advance additional partnership opportunities with humanitarian NGOs, including a series of panels and conferences as well as internships and volunteer opportunities. Any other recommendations not specifically mentioned are being taken under advisement. These include in particular a number of recommendations from the Pathways to Greater Inclusion group, such as providing additional options for students to gather and interact, leveraging student groups to advance inclusivity initiatives, and improving learning and engagement among diversity, equity and inclusion offices across GW.
I would like to express my gratitude to the faculty members who participated in the working groups this summer, and I look forward to partnering with the community to advance these recommendations.
Sincerely,
Christopher Alan Bracey
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Law