Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Alumnae/i:
I write today on behalf of the Board to thank Dean Walters and the History Working Group for the presentation of their work and the discussion that they led with the Board over the weekend. We thank the many members of the community who shared their views over the past year. We also want to thank President Cassidy for creating the process of historical inquiry, wide consultation, and open debate that so epitomizes our community’s values.
The issues that the Working Group’s presentation addressed – including M. Carey Thomas’ complex legacy of women’s empowerment and racist and anti-Semitic views – are deeply important. The Board will engage these issues with the rigor that befits their importance as we learn, debate, and act on behalf of the College. We have set aside time for this next stage of the deliberative process and for our final decision on the recommendations from the History Working Group.
I am deeply grateful that Bryn Mawr is addressing this issue as a community and in this intensive way. I am certain that we will be a better institution for it.
With gratitude,
Ann Logan ‘76
Chair, Board of Trustees, Bryn Mawr College
Message from Dean of the Undergraduate College Jennifer Walters