Willamette University was selected from more than 300 applicants to receive coaching from the USC Race and Equity Center’s Equity Coaching Academy racial equity initiative. The Academy was established to assist institutions in dismantling racism, eliminating racial disparities, and strategically pursuing racial equity. Willamette is one of 22 institutions chosen nationally.
Over a three-month period (May-July), a university working group will prioritize racial equity components of Willamette’s recent campus climate survey results in order to support our understanding of best practices and strategies. This will help the university to identify realistic and strategic priorities to improve campus climate issues identified in the survey results. Our goal is to develop tools and processes for analysis and action that centers racial equity.
Founded by Dr. Shaun R. Harper, the USC Race and Equity Center is a national leader on matters of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. The Center has worked with more than 500 educational institutions, corporations, government agencies, and other organizations. In 2019, the Center launched the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates, a quantitative survey that has been administered to more than 1.4 million undergraduates across the U.S.