Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Holly Ellman
Associate Director of Communications
news@bagmakerblog.com
817-257-6397

TCU announces formation and activation of recently commissioned historical initiative

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Aug. 13, 2020) – Texas Christian University’s recently announced initiative to study the university’s historical connection to racism, slavery and the Confederacy has been officially named the Race and Reconciliation Initiative (RRI). Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, appointed Frederick Gooding, Jr., Ph.D., associate professor of African American Studies in the John V. Roach Honors College, chair of the initiative. The initiative was commissioned by Chancellor Victor J. Boschini, Jr. and Board of Trustees Chair Mark L. Johnson and has the unanimous support of TCU’s entire Board.

“This scholarly journey into our past will both enlighten and provide extensive institutional knowledge from which to build our preferred future of a more diverse and welcoming campus,” said Dahlberg. “We will hear, learn and discover the more nuanced and perhaps complicated aspects of our history that might not have been frequently shared or even acknowledged.”

The initiative will be led by a 15-member university academic team that will undertake a rigorous self-examination to reflect on the institution, its founders, traditions, and named structures on campus as they relate to slavery, the Confederacy and its legacies. This inquiry will draw upon existing grassroots efforts, such as the TCU Portrait Project, the Indigenous Peoples historic marker, Intersectionality Month and other activities that have helped document and reveal contemporary and historic patterns of racism and racial inequality at TCU. The academic endeavor, which begins during the fall semester, will span many years with the first year of research focusing primarily on Black Americans and TCU’s experiences with racism, slavery and the Confederacy.

“Our study of TCU’s history will provide critical perspective, deepen understanding and result in recommendations for action and healing,” said Gooding. “The historical research previously conducted by campus members who worked on related projects for a number of years provides a firm foundation for us to continue this necessary work. We have great expectations that this initiative will continue to move us all forward and toward reconciliation.”

Regular updates, timelines, event information and opportunities for campus members to participate and engage in dialogue regarding TCU’s past, present and future, will be housed on the RRI web page. RRI also will immediately open channels of communication with the broader TCU community through the placement of signage next to the statue of Addison and Randolph Clark, TCU’s founders, both to signal the start of the initiative and to encourage continued community engagement.

TCU becomes the second university in Texas to join the Universities Studying Slavery consortium, thereby aligning itself with numerous other universities nationally and internationally to address contemporary issues, such as race and higher education, inequality, and the complicated legacies of slavery on campuses, in communities, and in our world.

A final report and recommendations from the first year of study will include modeling how to explore other identities in the university’s shared history.

Race and Reconciliation Initiative Committee members include:

Tosin Alao, Undergraduate Student Representative
Susan E. Anderson, Ed.D., College of Education
Jean Marie Brown, M.S., Journalism
Leslie Ekpe, M.A., M.B.A., Graduate Student Representative
Alan Gallay, Ph.D., History
Frederick Gooding, Jr., Ph.D., John V. Roach Honors College
Lynn Hampton, Ph.D., John V. Roach Honors College
Clifford E. Harrell, Athletics
Bryan King, M.B.A., Board of Trustees
Scott Kurashige, Ph.D., Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies
Jacque Lambiase, Ph.D., Strategic Communications
Adam W. McKinney, M.F.A., Dance
Trung Nguyen, Ed.D., Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Sarah Robbins, Ph.D., English
Tracy Renee Williams, M.S., Board of Trustees and President, TCU National Alumni Board

Race and Reconciliation Ex-Officio members include:

Holly Ellman, Marketing & Communication
Mary Saffell, M.L.S., Mary Couts Burnett Library
Claire Sanders, Ph.D., History and Office of the Provost
Karen Steele, Ph.D., English and Office of the Provost
Tracy Syler-Jones, M.B.A., Marketing & Communication
Aisha Torrey-Sawyer, M.Ed., Office of Diversity & Inclusion

TCU’s DEI efforts

TCU continues in its efforts to build a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion strategy to align with core values and create a campus culture where all are respected and connected. Fulfilling TCU’s mission to develop ethical leaders and critical thinkers in a global community depends on the university’s ability to attract and retain students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds who thrive in our community. More information about TCU’s DEI efforts can be found here and on the university’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion web page.

About Texas Christian University

Founded in 1873, TCU is a world-class, values-centered private university based in Fort Worth, Texas. The University comprises 10 schools and colleges offering 117 areas of undergraduate study, 66 master’s level programs, and 37 areas of doctoral study. Total enrollment stands at 11,024, including 9,474 undergraduates and 1,490 graduate students. The student/faculty ratio is 13:1, and 87 percent of TCU’s 727 full-time faculty members hold the highest degree in their discipline. TCU consistently ranks among the top universities and colleges in the nation, and the Horned Frog family consists of more than 92,700 living alumni. For more information, please visit TCU’s website.