On Monday, the Executive Committee on Inclusive Excellence sent out a campus-wide email announcing that University of Pennsylvania professor Shaun Harper will join Dartmouth to lead the Inclusive Excellence action plan’s external review committee.
Harper, an author of 12 books, currently serves as the founder and executive director of Penn’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. His research — which focuses on race and higher education, masculinity and college environments, among other topics — has been cited in over 4,000 publications, according to his faculty page. Harper also serves as president-elect of the Association for the Study of Higher Education and serves on editorial boards for several peer-reviewed journals.
The Inclusive Excellence action plan seeks to increase diversity across a range of offices and groups of people. Its website outlines six main initiatives and multiple subinitiatives to reach these goals. The external review committee will report to the College’s Board of Trustees to hold Dartmouth accountable for its commitments.
The email also called the current American climate “one of the most divisive times in our history — a time rife with social injustice, polarizing speech from political candidates, senseless violence and considerable fear and unrest in our communities.” In light of these circumstances, the College will open up Rollins Chapel every Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m. as a space for reflection.
The Executive Committee of Inclusive Excellence is comprised of College President Phil Hanlon, Provost Carolyn Dever, Executive Vice President Rick Mills and Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Evelynn Ellis. The external review committee, headed by Harper, will meet for the first time in the spring of 2017.
