Dear Members of the St. Olaf Community,

I have the pleasure of updating you on the work of the Council on Equity and Inclusion. The Council meets about once a month. Our first meeting was devoted to reviewing the Council’s web presence and the resources that should appear on the web. We spent time reviewing and finalizing our guiding principles and pledge to the community. We also reviewed our tasks, which are many!

On November 19, the Council met with three college staff members — Hudlin Wagner, Interim Director of the Taylor Center; Megan Carmès, Assistant Director of the Center; and Kathy Glampe, Director of the Center for Advising and Academic Support — to discuss the ways in which their work and that of the Council intersect. At that meeting, we also began to discuss the Council’s charge to develop a strategic plan for equity and inclusion. We examined sample strategic plans and reviewed the goals and metrics in the current college strategic plan pertaining to diversity and equity.

The Council’s upcoming tasks include developing a vision that will frame the strategic plan for equity and inclusion. A vision statement is what breathes life into a strategic plan. It guides the tactics that we pursue to implement the plan. Long after the goals are met, the vision should continue to shape our college community.

We’ve already begun asking the people who meet with us to give us their thoughts on the vision, and we’ll continue to ask that question in our listening sessions and other meetings. We want to hear from you about your thoughts regarding a vision statement. You can reach out to a member of the Council or send a note via the Council on Equity and Inclusion website.

Equity and inclusion is a “big tent” with plenty of opportunity to work with others to learn about and help advance equity and inclusion in the St. Olaf community. The Progress Report (which covers the most recent work) will provide a quick overview of the care being devoted to equity and inclusion in many parts of the college. I encourage you to think about what you are doing — as a student or faculty or staff member — to advance our college community. I am grateful to the many people who are already engaged in this important work.

With best wishes,

Marci Sortor
Chair of the Council on Equity and Inclusion
Provost and Dean of the College
Professor of History