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I write today with a heavy heart. Unacceptable racist incidents have taken place on campus this year, deeply affecting our students and our Saint Mary’s community. These racist acts and behaviors go against everything we stand for, and to be clear, they will not be tolerated or ignored. 

From the moment I arrived at Saint Mary’s, I made it clear that enriching the student experience would be a top priority. As we were reminded of at yesterday’s Academic Convocation, the profound impact of education on a person’s life is a legacy rooted in the mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, who began founding schools nearly 350 years ago. This mission lies at the heart of our values at Saint Mary’s and is what drew me to this remarkable community.

Fulfilling De La Salle’s mission is what propels Saint Mary’s to place students at the heart of everything we do. This guiding principle is our “north star”—a reflection of our unwavering commitment to creating the supportive, inclusive community that De La Salle envisioned centuries ago. We are united in our desire for students to learn with joy and enthusiasm, and to grow into the fullness of their God-given potential.

This semester’s racist incidents caused deep pain and affected our students, families, faculty, staff, and others across our campus community. I am fully committed to confronting these issues head-on with our community to provide a safe, inclusive, and equitable campus for all, one that reflects our core values: 

• Faith in the Presence of God
• Respect for All Persons
• Quality Education
• Inclusive Community
• Concern for the Poor and Social Justice

In building on the work already underway, we are taking further meaningful actions and enhancing initiatives currently in place. The steps outlined below represent part of a sustained effort to uphold and strengthen our core values, though they are not exhaustive:

1. Mandatory Training: Led by SMC’s Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration, all faculty and staff will be required to complete bystander training no later than fall 2025. Similarly, mandatory anti-bias training for all students will begin this summer and must be completed by the end of the Fall 2025 semester.
    
2. Student Conduct Code: Led by SMC’s Senior Vice President for Student Experience and Enrollment Management (SVP SEEM), the disciplinary process and SMC student conduct code will be reviewed, with recommendations due by July 1, 2025. Any new provisions to these policies will be shared with our campus community and implemented for the Fall 2025 semester.
    
3. Orientation and Weekend of Welcome (WoW) Programming: Led by SMC’s SVP SEEM, adjustments to Orientation and Weekend of Welcome will be made to improve education on community standards and what it means for new Gaels to be part of the Saint Mary’s community. Implementation will begin this summer.
    
4. Improvements to Campus Safety: Led by SMC’s Executive Director of Campus Safety, a study is underway to explore the feasibility of installing cameras in public areas on campus.
    
5. Education and Awareness: Led by SMC’s SVP SEEM, enhanced efforts are being implemented to break the cycle of silence, encourage students and others to speak up for one another, and promote an environment where members of the campus are empowered to actively support their fellow Gaels.
    
6. Academics: Led by SMC’s Acting Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, we will initiate an Academic Equity and Excellence Review of our academic offerings, curriculum, and classroom experience. 
    
7. Alumni Affinity Groups: Led by SMC’s Vice President for Advancement, we will reinvigorate and increase support for our Alumni affinity groups. The target date for this relaunch is September 2025.
    
8. New Speaker Series: Led by SMC’s Associate Vice President and Senior Diversity Officer, we will create and launch an “Inclusive Campus Speaker Series” during the 2025-26 academic year.
    
9. Living the Lasallian Mission: Led by SMC’s Vice President for Mission, we will examine ways in which our campus culture can more effectively align with Lasallian Core Principles and heritage. Implementation will begin in fall 2025.
    
10. Effective and Inclusive Search Techniques: Led by SMC’s Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration for staff positions and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for faculty positions, searches will partner with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the Office of Human Resources to ensure techniques involving bias awareness, cultural competency, and other considerations are practiced. Implementation will begin in fall 2025.

Feedback from our campus community will continue to be critical, and several mechanisms are currently in place to ensure all voices are heard.

For students, opportunities to provide input are available through the Associated Students and its leadership as well as through clubs and organizations. Faculty members are represented through the Academic Senate and through collaboration with the Provost’s office. Staff feedback is facilitated through the Staff Council.

Alumni can share their perspectives through the Alumni Association, while parents of our Gael students will also have a formal channel for input with the creation of the President’s Parents and Family Leadership Council, launching prior to the Fall 2025 semester. Finally, all members of the Saint Mary’s College community are represented on the Committee on Diversity, Belonging, and Liberation, led by the Associate Vice President and Senior Diversity Officer.

There is much work to do, and lasting change will take time. We will continue to support the good work already happening, particularly the efforts of our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Office of Human Resources, and the institution-wide Committee for Diversity, Belonging, and Liberation. I also appreciate student-led initiatives such as yesterday’s "Calling Gaels to Action" event hosted by our students for our students, and today’s town hall being held by our Graduate Student Association. I invite our students to share their recommendations so that, as a community, we can identify additional action steps. 

All of these actions represent both necessary and foundational steps toward creating a community that truly reflects its stated values, one rooted in integrity, inclusion, accountability, and mutual respect. I hope you will join me in a shared vision of a more just and supportive future for Saint Mary's.

Sincerely,

Roger J. Thompson, EdD
President