Posted October 9, 2020

The Taskforce for Diversity and Inclusion delivered its interim report to me on Sept. 28, and the President’s Cabinet will be discussing its details at our upcoming meeting this month. I am pleased to see that the Taskforce's work has reached so many corners of the campus — academic programs, admissions and recruitment, human resources, health clinics and community relations.

As we share this interim report with the university and continue moving forward with some of the work that supports these initiatives, we should all take ownership of this effort while we await the Taskforce’s final report in December.

They have conducted the requested analysis and have provided recommendations that can now be examined throughout the university. Their valuable work — which includes input from the campus at large — will only be a starting point, and it will be up to the entire University to take the next series of steps.

I thank the Taskforce for its diligence and service to our community, and I look forward to receiving their final report. May our efforts have a positive and lasting impact on our university and our community.

Very Sincerely,

Wendy Rheault, PT, PhD, FASAHP, FNAP, DipACLM
President and CEO

Posted July 23, 2020

I’m pleased to announce that the initial recommendations from the Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce have been delivered to me. I thank the members of the taskforce for their thoughtful recommendations and their diligence in meeting the deadline. Our work will require sustained and tireless efforts in order to be successful. It will be important for our efforts to be transparent to encourage patience and faith in the process while it takes shape. In that spirit, I am sharing this report with the university community.

In order to prepare for the next phase of work of the RFU Taskforce on Diversity and Inclusion, this report has been discussed among the members of the President’s Cabinet and will now be a topic of discussion within the broader campus community as we begin to think about how the substance of this report might fit into the missions of our schools and departments, and within our student and professional organizations.

I invite our faculty, students and staff to share their feedback on this report — along with their own ideas on diversity and inclusion initiatives — though an anonymous form that can be accessed on our website. Your contributions to this important undertaking will drive us forward to a stronger community, and I welcome your support and participation as we work together.

Very Sincerely,

Wendy Rheault, PT, PhD, FASAHP, FNAP, DipACLM
President and CEO