The Diversity Action Research Team (DART) is a collaborate think tank managed by the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity to form a strategic thinking partnership. The purpose of the team is to use data to better understand emerging issues of diversity and inclusion as well as propose institutional strategies to facilitate our continued commitment to building a community where all can live, learn, and thrive.
The team consists of the:
- Director of Special Academic Programs
- Director of the Multicultural Center
- Director of Institutional Research
- Associate Dean of the College
- Associate Dean for Institutional Diversity
- Dean of the College
- Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity
The committee evolved from the original first-generation research advisory group which began in 2007. The research project examined the experiences of first-generation and high-need financial aid students to help us gain a better understanding of the challenges these groups face in their efforts to thrive at Williams. The advisory group continued to meet after the completion of the research project to explore interventions to address challenges identified through the research.
In 2010 DART began a series of student interviews, entitled, “Navigating Williams: In Their Own Words,” that identifies strategies some first-generation students have employed to enable them to successfully navigate Williams. This first series of three DVD’s will be available to students during First Days Orientation and subsequently to all Williams College students via online.
Williams has given us the excellent opportunity to work together, not only in the same department but on the same shift. We have great respect for one another on and off campus. Here we are equal. But at the end of the day, it's back to father and son.
