News

Dear Oles,

I am writing to share good news about another positive step forward in our equity and inclusion efforts. Effective immediately, Bruce King will be promoted to Vice President for Equity and Inclusion. The elevation in Bruce’s leadership profile and responsibilities will strengthen the college’s commitments to be a more equitable and inclusive community equipped to be responsive, not only in this current moment but for future generations of students and alums.

Bruce will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of policies and programs that create and support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment with a shared sense of belonging for faculty, staff, and students. He will emphasize developing, implementing, and monitoring metrics to assess the effectiveness and accountability of these policies and programs. He will continue to chair the Bias Response Team and begin chairing the Council on Equity and Inclusion, building on the excellent work of our Provost and Inaugural Chair Marci Sortor. He will work more closely with the Provost’s Office, Human Resources, and Enrollment Division on our efforts to continue to recruit and retain diverse students, faculty, and staff.

The work that will make us a more equitable and inclusive college must be shared by every member of this community, but it’s time for St. Olaf to signal the priority and intentionality with which we commit to this work and our determination to effect meaningful change by assigning leadership for it at the Vice President level.

Bruce King, with more than 12 years of service to the college, is the right person to lead us forward. He has deep and broad experience advancing equity and inclusion in public school systems, state higher education systems, and leading liberal arts colleges. He has a heart both for the work and for the people it touches and for that reason is often called upon as a thought leader for diversity, equity, and inclusion issues for liberal arts institutions. His work at the college has resulted in the diversification of our faculty, enhanced our enrollment pipelines and relationships with community-based partners in Chicago, and supported our philanthropic efforts to bring more resources to first-generation students of which he counts himself a member.

Please join me and my colleagues on the President’s Leadership Team (PLT) in congratulating Bruce on this promotion. More importantly, please offer your support and your commitment to join him in this important work.

Regards,
David R. Anderson ’74
President