Diversity at Lab

The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

UCLS Diversity Task Force Update

From Irene Sherr, Chair, Diversity Task Force Communications Committee:

I would like to take this opportunity to update the Lab community about the work of the Diversity Task Force, appointed by the Lab Board of Directors last spring. Twenty individuals representing parents, alumni, students, faculty, administration, staff, the Lab Board of Directors, and the University of Chicago comprise the Task Force.

The current objectives of the Task Force are to:

Explore options to help Lab retain and attract African American students.
Insure that Lab pursues all reasonable avenues to recruit qualified African American faculty.
Ensure that the Lab School environment is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive for all Lab students and families, faculty and staff.

We began our work last spring with a half-day workshop where we discussed the concepts integral to the understanding of diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence. The Task Force’s work is enhanced by the assistance and contributions of Angela Park, an independent consultant and founder and director of Diversity Matters, a nonprofit organization that aims to make diversity and inclusion foundational assets of organizations.

In October, the Task Force met again for a half-day session. We reviewed demographic profiles of the student and faculty populations and the policies and practices related to recruitment, enrollment and retention, of student and faculty. The data underscored the relevance and importance of the task force’s objectives.

To move forward, we established four committees:

Communications Committee, to craft a communications strategy and program to support the Diversity Task Force’s work, to sustain information sharing and to build connections to all of the Task Force’s constituencies.
Learning and Education Committee will explore a wide range of methods for providing enhanced learning opportunities on issues of inclusion and diversity to Lab’s various constituencies.
Diversity Statement Committee to take the lead in drafting a Diversity Statement for eventual approval by the Schools’ Board of Directors.
Retention Committee to collect and analyze data on students who opt to leave the Laboratory School.

We plan to engage and collaborate with the Lab community (in the broadest sense of the word) in a multitude of ways as we dig deeper into our work. Task Force members are eager to hear your concerns and suggestions, provide updates at meetings, and support and collaborate with other groups that share an interest in inclusion and diversity at Lab.

I hope to hear from some of you on this important community issue. Please do not hesitate to email or call: 773-752-5438.

University of Chicago Diversity Initiatives