Dear Members of the George Washington University Community,
In recent weeks, the university has made several announcements regarding GW’s commitment to strengthening and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in our community, including updates on the structure of some of our offices. Most recently, on April 16, Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Scott Mory and I announced the creation of the new Office of Equal Opportunity to manage the university’s response to all discrimination, bias and harassment complaints, and shared that Disability Support Services would now report to Deputy Provost Terry Murphy.
These decisions were informed by ongoing discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion with several leaders from the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE), whom I invited to participate in my senior staff meetings starting last fall in order to better get to know them and the programs they lead and to get their valuable input on key Provost Office decisions. Informed by those discussions, engagement with other stakeholder groups, and reflection about what would best serve ODECE’s current programs and our broader commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we have decided to dissolve ODECE and realign its functions as follows, effective immediately:
- We are creating the new Office of Community, Culture and Inclusion (OCCI) to lead the important university-wide work of embracing, celebrating and learning the diversity of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences in our community, strengthening our commitment to non-discrimination and advancing equity through equal opportunity, and fostering an inclusive and respectful environment that enables everyone to thrive. OCCI is well prepared to take GW’s efforts in this space to the next level, as evidenced by the recent OneGW Summit, at which our community came together to build meaningful relationships, engage in dialogue and learning across differences, model and promote civil discourse, celebrate communities and cultures, and reflect on what it means to be a Revolutionary at GW. OCCI will work across all schools and divisions, directly interacting with students, faculty, staff, and senior leadership at GW, in order to achieve inclusive excellence.
OCCI will be led by Dr. Jordan Shelby West, Associate Vice Provost for Community, Culture and Inclusion, who will continue reporting to me and will join the university’s Executive Leadership Team to ensure that principles of inclusive excellence are included in the discussions and decision making of senior leadership. The Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC), led by director Vanice L. Antrum, will be part of OCCI and continue reporting to Dr. West.
In addition, President Granberg has appointed Dr. West Senior Advisor to the President for Inclusive Excellence for the coming year to lead a university-wide dialogue focused on fostering a robust, vibrant, and inclusive campus community in alignment with applicable laws and regulations. Dr. West will provide more information about this important project in the coming months.
- The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, which has the important mission of integrating civic engagement into GW’s educational work, will continue to be led by Amy Cohen, Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director, who will continue reporting to me.
- The Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholars Program, which supports a cohort of GW students who were among D.C.’s most exceptional high school scholars, will join our other scholar cohort programs in the Office for Student Success. Helen Cannaday Saulny, who leads that program, will report to Kimberley Williams, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Retention.
I am grateful for the continued support of the community as we make progress in our work to embrace diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, to advance equity through equal opportunity, and to cultivate inclusion and respect for all, which are critical for GW to continue to pursue its mission with excellence.
Sincerely,
John Lach
Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering