The Lawrenceville Fund Challenge for Equity and Inclusion

Lawrenceville is committed to becoming a more just and equitable school. Among the immediate steps in place for this year, the School is engaged in investing in personal growth and development, increasing diversity among faculty and staff, and establishing bias reporting tools.

This fundraising challenge aligns with those key commitments and provides an opportunity for the many young alumni who have asked how they can help, to target their annual giving in the area of diversity and inclusion, as well as double the impact of their support with a dollar for dollar match up to $100,000 thanks to the generosity of Trustee Emeriti Glenn Hutchins ‘73. 

Outlined below are some of this year’s priority initiatives put in place by the inaugural Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, Rick Holifield, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. While the School has already dedicated funds to support these projects, dollars raised during this challenge will help ensure the long term, sustained impact of this important work. 

Thank you for giving generously, in support of a more inclusive Lawrenceville. 

• Climate Assessment and Equity Audit
• What is a climate assessment? A climate assessment serves to investigate policies, practices, and procedures within an organization, and in the case of Lawrenceville, our entire school community. The School commits to conducting a thorough assessment of policies and practices as they pertain to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
• Equity Audit: This process analyzes how well the School creates, implements, and assesses equitable practices and policies from the perspectives of key stakeholders in the community: students, faculty/staff, parents, and alumni. 

Results from these two reports, which will be facilitated by an outside agency, will produce commendations and recommendations for the purpose of creating a Diversity Action Plan, which outlines long-term plans of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at The Lawrenceville School, with the end goal to overhaul curriculum, diversity within faculty/staff disciplinary policies, etc. 

• Training for the Lawrenceville Community
• The School commits to hiring external organizations and experts to provide training on implicit bias discrimination for the entire (current) Lawrenceville community. 
• Training for Students: In addition to providing training for this year’s student leaders during orientation, various external organizations will work with Lawrenceville students so that they can graduate with the necessary skills to effectively listen and communicate with people across cultures while being aware of their own world view. These adaptive cultural competencies will build future leaders and directly support our mission to “inspire the best in each to seek the best for all.”    
• Training for Faculty/Staff: This year, Lawrenceville faculty will work with Bryant T. Marks, Ph.D., the Founder and Chief Equity Officer of the National Training Institute on Race and Equity. Dr. Marks will also conduct training about implicit bias, in order to strengthen faculty members’ skills to recognize and reform biases caused by systemic racism in order to effectively lead Lawrenceville’s student body.