Promotion of Professor Crystal Williams
August 4, 2020
Dear Friends,
The Boston University Day of Collective Engagement on June 24 was an extraordinary event. Our community engaged the issue of systemic racism in the world and on our own campus in a way we never have before. The conversations were, at turns, blunt, raw, emotional, uplifting, and discouraging; and it was clear that we as an institution have more work to do to ensure that our community is truly diverse, inclusive, and antiracist.
The person who led that extraordinary day, and who unlocked this unprecedented conversation, is Professor Crystal Williams, and today it is our pleasure to announce that the University has promoted her to the position of Vice President and Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion.
For us, and for everyone else who has been fortunate enough to work with Crystal and be inspired by her vision, we know that the Day of Collective Engagement was just her latest contribution to our campus. In the three years since joining the University as the Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion, Professor Williams has established a number of important initiatives such as the Target of Opportunity Hiring Program and the University Scholars Program, and led the successful LGBTQIA+ Task Force and the BU Day of Collective Engagement. Reporting to the University Provost, Professor Williams has served as an important member and leader in the Provost’s Cabinet, always working to bring meaningful consideration of diversity and equity to all aspects of our academic work. She is widely respected and sought-after across the University for her skills in strategic thinking around equity and diversity, as well as in managing complex and challenging situations that arise from conflicts rooted in cultural issues such as race, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic differences.
In her expanded role, in addition to her existing portfolio, she will have responsibility for our new center for first-generation students that will open this fall, the organization of our Living Learning Communities, and the Organizational Development & Learning effort previously housed in Human Resources.
In her new capacity, she will also play an important role in the implementation of two essential pillars of our 2030 Strategic Plan: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Community—Big Yet Small. These initiatives are different yet intertwined, and placing them under Crystal’s leadership puts us on a clearer path to programs and policies that allow everyone, as an individual or as part of a group, to have a deeper personal connection to a BU community that faculty, staff, and students experience as diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Like many of you, we are still moved and motivated by the Day of Collective Engagement, and in the weeks ahead, other new and important steps that were motivated by that day will be announced. For now, though, please join us in taking this important step and welcoming Crystal to her new role.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Brown
President
Jean Morrison
University Provost and Chief Academic Officer