President Shepard sends message to Western community

Western Washington University president Bruce Shepard sent a message to the WWU community this afternoon highlighting a few thoughts on the coming year:

Welcome back to campus and to the start of the winter quarter.  I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break and that you are as excited as I am about the start of 2016.  The turning of the calendar to a new year brings with it a sense of excitement as we look forward to the opportunities we have, in a demonstrably safe environment, to learn, grow, and act to make our world a better place.

As we move into 2016 we will have opportunities to learn and grow individually and as a campus community.  The President`s Task Force on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity is reviewing information collected from the listening sessions held within the colleges at the end of last quarter to inform its next action steps and recommendations.  As you are aware from previous communications, opportunities to strengthen critical cultural consciousness are being conducted through the Campus Equity and Inclusion Forum.  I strongly encourage participation in these sessions.  In addition, we have hired an outside consultant to review campus safety protocols, and are refining our processes for responding to incidents of bias.  As outcomes and initiatives are recommended, we will be seeking your further engagement and counsel.

We have institutional and systemic matters to address, certainly.  But also, and as I stated in my December 8th message to campus, living with greater empathy for others is a vital part of working toward a better world, and I encourage all to add that goal to our individual lists of resolutions for 2016.  I fully expect that through individual commitment, honest dialogue, and working together, we can make our campus climate a welcoming one for all.  Because Western Cares, because you care.

Welcome back and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2016!

Bruce