Deans and administrators through the University of Utah campus issued this letter in mid-October to affirm their commitment to creating an inclusive environment where there is no tolerance for acts of racism or bias in any form.

As leaders of the University of Utah, we work daily to facilitate the intellectual development of all campus members and help our students, staff and faculty reach for their professional goals.

Over the past months, our campus — indeed our nation — has experienced several threats to our learning environment that challenge individuals’ ability to thrive. These incidents are not isolated and we understand that they are signs of deep racial and gender biases (among other bigotries) that have been perpetuated in our country for now hundreds of years. As leaders within the university community, we acknowledge with humility and with empathy the hurt, pain, and damaging effects on mental and physical well-being that these bigotries and threats can produce. Any such threats are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Understanding that we have much to learn, we are committed to gaining a more complex understanding of issues that challenge the respectful climate an academic setting demands. These include racial microaggressions, biases against women and LGBTQ+ individuals, and intolerance towards people’s citizenship status, disabilities, politics, and religion.  We commit to providing training to individuals within our units so that faculty, advisors, staff, and other students will better understand the problems and challenges that are daily faced by these groups so that we can act with greater understanding at all levels of campus life. Our aim is to create and sustain a university climate where all individuals treat each other with respect and dignity.

We as leaders at the University of Utah promise to develop strategies that work proactively to reduce the potential for such threats.  We feel passionately that the University of Utah must become an environment where all individuals on campus are physically safe, so that we all can stretch our minds to places that may feel intellectually unfamiliar, but that excite the mind and lead to new discoveries that benefit societies here and around the globe.  We ask for your patience as we strive for a university environment where this is possible for all.

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[bs_col class=”col-sm-3″]Robert Adler
Dean, College of Law

Cynthia Berg
Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Science

Lorris Betz
Senior Vice President of Health Sciences

Martha Bradley
Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs

Richard Brown
Dean, College of Engineering

Darryl Butt
Dean, College of Mines and Earth Sciences[/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-3″]Elaine Clark
Dean, College of Education

Alberta Comer
Dean, Marriott Library

Randy Dryer
Acting Dean, Honors College

Sarah George
Executive Director, Natural History Museum

Dianne Harris
Dean, College of Humanities

Steve Hess
Chief Information Officer

Wyatt Hume
Dean, College of Dentistry[/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-3″]David Kieda
Dean, Graduate School

Patricia Morton
Dean, College of Nursing

Keith Diaz-Moore
Dean, College of Architecture and Planning

David Perrin
Dean, College of Health

David Pershing
President

Randall Peterson
Dean, College of Pharmacy

Taylor Randall,
Dean, David Eccles School of Business[/bs_col]
[bs_col class=”col-sm-3″]John Scheib
Dean, College of Fine Arts

Barbara Snyder
Vice President Student Affairs

Kathryn Stockton
Associate Vice President of Equity and Diversity
Dean, School of Social and Cultural Transformation

Martell Teasley
Dean, College of Social Work

Ruth Watkins
Senior Vice President Academic Affairs

Henry White
Dean, College of Science[/bs_col]
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