Task Force Charge and Committee

The Task Force for Addressing Black Students’ Concerns was charged on February 17, 2015, by the Office of the President to address the climate at the University of Miami.  Late in the Fall 2014 semester, racial, inflammatory comments appeared on GPS location-based social media describing the student demonstrations in response to what has become known as the “BlackLivesMatter” peaceful protests.  Comments recorded indicated that at some level there may be challenges to our unique university climate and a general lack of understanding about the benefits of a diverse community.  Several undergraduate leaders initiated conversations with university administration, expressed their concerns, and requested an immediate response.

President Shalala (in coordination with Dr. Thomas LeBlanc, Provost, and Dr. Patricia Whitely, Vice President for Student Affairs) created the Task Force charged with evaluating and assessing programs, resources, and the climate for Black students, faculty, and staff on campus. Dr. M. Brian Blake, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, was asked to chair the Task Force.

The Task Force was asked to convene prior to March 1, 2015 and produce a final report with recommendations by May 15, 2015. The report would contain actionable recommendations that the Office of the President might initiate prior to the change of leadership at the University. The Task Force to Address Black Students’ Concerns was charged to specifically:                       

• Assess the current climate for black students and recommend areas for improvement.
• Learn about our current practices regarding Black student enrollment, retention, and financial assistance and make recommendations for improvement.
• Explore the current resources for programming on diversity and inclusion and make suggestions for improvement.
• Recommend areas for enhancement regarding sensitivity/inclusivity training for faculty, staff, administration and University of Miami Police Department (UMPD).
• Explore and discuss our current efforts in the recruitment of faculty and staff.

The Task Force met initially on February 27, 2015. Given the aggressive timeline for the Task Force, the group was separated into five sub‐teams with each addressing one of the five areas of charge. Each sub-team was empowered to conduct its own meetings with individuals relevant to their specific area. Each sub‐team crafted tentative recommendations that would be discussed in the larger group meeting. Sub-teams were expressly led by student leaders.

The Task Force team had 8 meetings as a large group, but sub‐teams met more frequently at the discretion of the sub-team leads. The chair drafted the report and the recommendations based on discussions in each of the 8 meetings while enhancing the document based on comments and concerns throughout the process. In the final two meetings (May 4 and May 12), a set of recommendations were crafted from previous drafts and, as a group, a final set of recommendations were devised. Most recommendations had a strong consensus from the group. When more detail was required for the entire group to be comfortable with a particular recommendation, the Task Force weighed heavily the sentiments of the student leaders. The report was finalized through the discussions of the Task Force Chair and the sub‐team leaders (i.e. student leads).  The chair of the committee met with President Shalala and Provost LeBlanc during the final weeks of May to debrief the proceedings of the task force.

The Task Force recommended investments in student and faculty recruitment, investment in diversity mentoring and programming, and the establishment of an on-going diversity or race relations committee to help to maintain an inclusive climate. 

To view the complete Task Force Report, please click here.