Dear President Lindgren:

As Co-Chairs of the Randolph-Macon College President’s Racial Equity and Opportunity Commission, we are pleased to formally submit to you the Commission’s final work, our recommendations to make Randolph-Macon a more accessible, welcoming place for all students, employees, and visitors and a place with greater opportunities for historically underrepresented students. We do so on behalf of the full Commission and with appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of this critical discussion and the even more important work that lies ahead.

Since Summer 2020, citizens and communities across the United States have been engaged in national discussions about race, diversity, fair treatment, equal justice, equity, equal opportunity, and inclusiveness. These introspective looks – retrospective in nature, as well – have led to conversations that, while often uncomfortable, we hope will begin to heal numerous wounds that exist in our great country.

Colleges and universities have played critical roles in facilitating these necessary conversations on campus and about their campuses. Randolph-Macon College, too, has stepped forward to have important discussions about race, equity and inclusion – all so that our own campus and community can acknowledge and build on our past.

As research indicates is the case for many Southern colleges and universities, Randolph-Macon’s past unfortunately is intertwined with the institution of slavery. We strongly believe that to make our College a welcoming and equitable learning environment for all, we must recognize and address where our community has fallen short in the past and must do better in the future. We are hopeful that the Commission’s work is a guide for undertaking this work.

Establishing the Racial Equity and Opportunity Commission

President Lindgren, with the full support of the Board of Trustees, you recognized that the Randolph-Macon community needed to reflect on our own institution, examine our College’s history and campus culture, and do better by our students, faculty and staff.

To that end, in October 2020 you established and appointed the Racial Equity and Opportunity Commission, charged to “… identify and help implement improvements to the College to create a more equitable, inclusive, and welcoming environment where all faculty, staff, and student members of the RMC Community, and specifically those historically underrepresented here, can thrive and fulfill their full potential.” You further noted that “[w]e must commit to this work, not only for our current students, faculty, and staff, but for future generations here as well.”

The Commission was comprised of 26 members, broadly representative of the College’s multiple constituencies including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We appreciate that you made available College staff support and other resources that we requested so that we could develop a structure and process to examine our College’s history and culture. We sincerely appreciate the support provided and your commitment to ensuring that our work would be independent of any guidance or interference from campus leadership. 

The Commission’s Proceedings

The Commission has worked diligently for nearly one year, engaging in dozens of one-on-one and small-group discussions, as well as in larger groups. We established an Executive Council and four Subcommittees: (1) Culture and Climate; (2) Faculty/Staff: Recruitment, Retention, Promotion, and Support; (3) Student: Recruitment, Retention, Graduation, and Support; and (4) History.

While the Executive Council helped organize the Subcommittees and provided guidance throughout the process, each Subcommittee’s discussion and work proceeded organically. And each Subcommittee’s discussion was free, open, and largely unfettered.

Importantly, in all discussions, we stressed that both the Executive Council and the Commission’s Subcommittees should operate within bounds of confidentiality to enable all Commission members and participants to speak freely.

The Commission’s process and work has been deliberate and deliberative. It has not been easy. It has taken a great amount of time, perhaps longer than some would have liked. All Commission members have been driven by deep affection for our College and the desire to meet your charge to ensure that Randolph-Macon is a more equitable, inclusive, safe, and welcoming place where everyone can thrive and maximize their greatest potential.

Additionally, we make special note of the History Subcommittee’s report, which goes into great detail about our College’s early history. We do not seek here to summarize the findings of the History Subcommittee’s report – it is a body of work that speaks for itself.  Honest recognition of and reflection on our past is an essential step to moving our College forward into a future where we are one Randolph-Macon.

Our Recommendations

Our Commission is forwarding to you 30 recommendations. Each recommendation has a suggested timeline, and we note where we believe financial resources may be needed.

We call attention in particular to the recommendation that the administration create a Cabinet-level Chief Diversity Officer empowered to collect data, work with students, faculty, and staff, and enact programs and initiatives to make our College community a more equitable and inclusive place. We note as well that implementation of a number of our recommendations is likely to fall under the purview of the Chief Diversity Officer and we welcome the suggestions, enhancements, and revisions this individual may deem necessary based on experience, expertise, and knowledge of best practices.

Additionally, and generally, our recommendations include increasing efforts to recruit more historically underrepresented students and providing them greater financial aid and other support; increasing efforts to recruit a more diverse faculty and staff that is representative of the global society in which we live; creating opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to have regular, meaningful discussions about diversity, equity, and inclusion; engaging with the community beyond our campus borders on matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion; assessing our campus’s named buildings, art, awards, and scholarships to ensure they reflect our inclusive values; and continuing to research our College’s history and engaging with others to better understand it. It is important to note that with respect to the names associated with the College, the History Subcommittee has not made any recommendations to change or remove names. Rather, the Subcommittee recommends that the College “survey” the history of building names, scholarships, etc.

The recommendations noted above are not exhaustive of the 30 recommendations listed on the enclosed pages.

Lastly, we note, again, that the Commission was charged to “identify and help implement improvements to the College to create a more equitable, inclusive, and welcoming environment where all faculty, staff, and student members of the RMC Community, and specifically those historically underrepresented here, can thrive and fulfill their full potential.” We believe we have fulfilled your charge.

We realize that you, the Cabinet, and, in some cases, the Trustees must assess our recommendations. We know too that as you, the Cabinet, and the Trustees consider these recommendations, particularly with the insights afforded by a Chief Diversity Officer, other recommendations and actions may emerge, improve upon, or even supplant, those we have proposed, and we support those changes deemed necessary to make our campus a safe and equitable haven for all.

Moreover, we realize some of these recommendations and actions require the investment of significant resources of time and money and hope these resources can be made available over time to make Randolph-Macon the equitable and inclusive place to which we are all committed.

President Lindgren, the 26 members of the Commission sincerely appreciate the gravity of the responsibility that we were given with this work. While the Commission’s report is done, the work to build a diverse, inclusive campus continues. And we stand ready to help support you in any manner necessary. Thank you for this tremendous opportunity.

Sincerely,

Yvonne W. Brandon
Co-Chair

La Toria H. Tookes
Co-Chair

J. Dontrese Brown
Co-Chair