TFRE February 2022 Update

Task Force on Racial Equity
February 2022 Update

Recommendations:

It’s hard to believe that we are heading into the final months of the two-year Task Force on Racial Equity initiative. The Working Groups will be submitting their final recommendations for review by March 4 and finalized versions will be submitted to task force leadership by April 1. The remainder of the year will be spent summarizing the work of the task force and integrating accountability measures into ongoing functions of the university. 

The task force has made great progress already: 

• 30 Recommendations have been submitted to President Alger
• 5 Recommendations are under Leadership Council review
• 10 recommendations are in development by the Working Groups

We appreciate the leadership and work of each Working Group. They have invested valuable time, energy and expertise in the creation and submission of each recommendation.

Accountability:

This month the task force initiated revised processes for monitoring and communicating the progress of recommendations in the implementation phase. Implementation Co-Champions, who have been designated by a university vice president, will submit a monthly summary on recent accomplishments and the next few anticipated milestones. We anticipate this reporting and enhanced communications will continue to develop under the soon to be hired new Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. These reporting and communication responsibilities are a hallmark of this task force due to its unique structure that allowed this accountability to commence while the task force was in session and continue beyond its conclusion.

Key Recent Project: Narrative on Race

The task force began the process of creating a narrative on race. The narrative is the collected voices of members of the JMU community and will be shared with the campus community as a part of a comprehensive report of the work of the task force. Working Groups will use the narrative as a guide in their development of recommendations coinciding with broad themes identified by the narrative: Encourage Sustainability and Accountability, Enhance Accessible Communication and Build Trust, Mitigate Harm and Strengthen Efforts to Change Culture.

Task Force Recurring Meetings:

• Co-Chair team presents to the President’s Cabinet monthly
• President Alger met with the full task force in January and continues to meet with various levels and groups within the task force
• Leadership Council meets monthly
• Co-Chair team meets weekly

Connecting to the Climate Study and other DEI Efforts:

As we work to ensure the legacy of this task force, and to honor the contributions of each member beyond our two-year charge, members of the task force leadership have joined with leadership of the JMU Climate Study to collaborate on sustained and meaningful action that carries the work of both groups forward in the coming years. This group will ensure that the spirit and work of the task force informs our continued work at JMU.

Members of the task force who have been assigned to the implementation team of the climate study include Brent Lewis, David Owusu-Ansah, Chuck Flick and Art Dean.

For any questions or additional information please reach out to any member of the task force, but especially a member of the Co-Chair team.