- Mailing Address
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106 Central St.
Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481 - Phone
- (781) 283-1000
- Email address
- publicaffairs@wellesley.edu
- Website
- https://www.wellesley.edu/
- School Information
- Wellesley is known for the thousands of accomplished, thoughtful women it has sent out into the world for over 100 years—women who are committed to making a difference. Every year, some 2,400 of the world’s top undergraduate women are challenged to exceed their own highest personal and intellectual expectations. The mastery Wellesley graduates demonstrate across the professional and vocational spectrum, and the influence they wield—whether in their own communities or on the world stage—is testament to a singularly empowering undergraduate experience. Home to leading institutions such as the Albright Institute, the Knapp Social Science Center, the Davis Museum, The Newhouse Center for the Humanities, and the world-renowned Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley’s resources are a magnet not only for the surrounding community and metropolitan area; they attract attention—and scholars—from around the world. Commitment to Women Wellesley College was founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant, who were passionate about the higher education of women.
- General Information
- The Presidential Commission on Ethnicity, Race, and Equity (CERE), was commissioned in January 2015 to examine: What is needed for Wellesley to be the operational model of a 21st Century community grounded in equity? Along with creating a system of reporting biased incidents and hiring faculty with a demonstrated record of excellence in the realms of diversity and inclusion, Wellesley launched a comprehensive, campus-wide unconscious bias training initiative: Research shows that we all have unconscious biases; learning how to identify and address them is critical to creating a more inclusive community in which to live, learn, and work. Associate Provost Robbin Chapman has worked with many academic and administrative units to increase understanding and capacity to reduce the negative effects of unconscious bias during hiring and other evaluative actions. Guided by the Commission’s recommendations, she launched a more comprehensive, campus-wide unconscious bias training initiative—to ensure that educational opportunities countering unconscious bias are available to all. As part of the initiative workshops have been or will be planned with: Senior staff Board of Trustees Faculty Staff Alumnae Student leaders on campus Academic peer tutors Supplemental instructors First year/transfer student mentors Athlete mentors House presidents Resident assistants (source: https://www.wellesley.edu/about/missionandvalues/diversityandequity/cere)
Actions Taken
- Admissions Policies
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Our Diversity Recruitment Team is a group of staff and students who are committed to recruiting and enrolling students from underrepresented backgrounds. They organize the travel grant program that brings bright, deserving students to campus, engage with community-based organizations and high school counselors around the country, hang out with the dozens of cultural organizations on campus, and help connect prospective and current students.
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On June 29, 2023, Wellesley's President issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "I believe the Court’s decision on race-conscious admissions is likely to have profound negative consequences for generations of students, for colleges and universities, and indeed for our nation. If we are to achieve the educational excellence we aspire to, our students must have the opportunity to learn from each other across diverse backgrounds and experiences, as they do today...Without a doubt, our most powerful tool for expanding access is our commitment to meet 100% of a student’s calculated need. This has allowed us to enroll a diverse range of students and provide a transformational education for all."
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- Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
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As part of the Wellesley Racial Justice Initiative, the college hosted a "How to be a Better Ally" seminar.
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The Wellesley Racial Justice Initiative has hosted numerous training events and book clubs regarding anti-racism.
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The Office of Intercultural Education offers the Inclusion Initiative, which runs yearly in order to “train a cohort of paid peer facilitators to lead 90-minute workshops on topics such as oppression and privilege, racism” and other topics.
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The Office of Intercultural Education hosts Thrive! which is known as an “interactive diversity transition program.” This was last held on September 16 and 17 2023, but it occurs annually.
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The school offers “Let Me Speak,” which is a presentation given to all first-year students in orientation focusing on diversity and inclusion.
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- Resources
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Wellesley offers a Minor in Comparative Race and Ethnicity. The minor in comparative race and ethnicity seeks to educate students to: "Understand the social construction of race and ethnicity," "Introduce students to a variety of disciplinary approaches to understanding and analyzing race and ethnicity," "Compare processes of racialization across history and geography," "Understand ethnic and racial conflicts in comparative context," "Critically analyze the exercise of power and domination, as well as resistance movements," "Examine how global systems of economic and political power, colonialism, and transnational migration shape race and ethnicity in various places," and "Consider the intersections of race and ethnicity with gender, nation, and class in a global context."
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Wellesley offers a significant number of resources to instructors to teach Black Lives Matter: Race, Policing, and Protest, including online resources and literature.
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Using the search function, the website returns dozens of results for Critical Race - almost too many to catalog.
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The Stone Center Counseling Service will “strive to uphold foundational values of diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion in our services, programs, collaborations, and professional development.”
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A seminar is offered, known as Building Intercultural Competence: An Introduction or EXT100H-01.
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The school’s Community Action Network “hosts discussions, workshops, and events that promote a more nuanced, textured understanding of equity and inclusion.”
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The Department of Computer Science created a Departmental BPC Plan which involved several commitments related to increasing student participation in inclusive excellence programs.
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The Department of Neuroscience offers a site dedicated to “Off-Campus & DEI Research Opportunities.”
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- Symbolic Actions
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The "Antiracism Ambassadors" are "redefining the Outdoors."
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Wellesley College Athletics held an "Anti-Racism Book Review and Discussion" for students and faculty.
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In October 2020, ninety-three faculty members and 232 students took the “21 Days Against Racism Challenge."
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The Office of Intercultural Education seeks to “promote the cultural competence development of students through intercultural activities and programs.”
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Wellesley College’s Department of Computer Science released a Community Values Statement saying, “we understand that we all need to be aware of our conscious and unconscious biases, as well as systemic biases within our institutions, and we must do our best to counteract and erode those biases.”
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The college will host the Inclusive Recruiting Summit on March 29, 2024.
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