June 3, 2020
Dear UM family,
Over the past few weeks, the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd have convulsed communities across the country. To yet again see black community members killed so callously fills us with grief and anger and lays bare our nation’s unfulfilled promise of a just society. We acknowledge the anger, sadness and burden that members of our Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities are uniquely experiencing in this moment and have long experienced as a result of historic institutionalized racism.
Institutions across our country have not served all people and all communities equally. Too often, institutions have become instruments of inequality and oppression. As leaders in higher education, we acknowledge our particular responsibility to act — with empathy, humility and proactive commitment — to foster positive, systemic change both on campus and in broader society. We recognize that our efforts to date have not been sufficient, that we have at times not understood the voices and needs of people of color in the UM family, and that dialog and raised awareness, by themselves, will not solve these problems.
We reaffirm our commitment to act in solidarity with those who have suffered from systemic oppression and who have worked to forge a better future for all people. We commit to acknowledging that we must do better. We commit to listening to, learning from and acting alongside BIPOC members of the UM family and broader community to root out institutional racism.
Seth Bodnar – President
Also signed by members of the President’s Cabinet
and the Academic Deans at UM:
Alicia Arant – Director of Equal Opportunity & Title IX Coordinator
Chad Bishop – Interim Dean, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation
Barry Brown – Interim Dean, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
Cathy Cole – Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communication
John DeBoer – Interim Dean, College of the Arts and Media
Lucy France – Legal Counsel
Tom Gallagher – Dean, Missoula College
Taylor Gregory – ASUM President
Rozlyn Haley – Chair, Staff Senate
Jon Harbor – Executive Vice President and Provost
Kent Haslam – Director, Intercollegiate Athletics
Larry Hufford – Incoming Dean, College of Humanities and Sciences
Reed Humphrey – Dean, College of Health
Paul Kirgis – Dean, Alexander Blewett III School of Law
Paul Lasiter – Vice President for Operations and Finance
Adrea Lawrence – Dean, Phyllis J. Washington College of Education
Nathan Lindsay – Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
Marketa Marvanova – Acting Dean, College of Health
Jenny McNulty – Interim Dean, College of Humanities and Sciences
Tim Nichols – Dean, Davidson Honors College
Chris Palmer – Chair, Faculty Senate
Terri Phillips – Associate Vice President for Human Resource Services
Renae Scott – Chief Information Officer
Paula Short – Director of Communications
Megan Stark – President, University Faculty Association
Sarah Swager – Vice Provost for Student Success
Suzanne Tilleman – Interim Dean, College of Business
Kelly Webster – Chief of Staff
Scott Whittenburg – Vice President for Research and Creative Scholarship