History of the Office of Equity

In 2013, WWU President Bruce Shephard authorized the creation of the President's Taskforce on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity 2013-2017 Final Report

In 2018, WWU President Sabha Randhawa produced a timeline of institutional initiatives to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Western. Among those initiatives was the Council on Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Read the Final Report of the 2018-2018 Council on Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice here. The charge for the 2019-2020 academic year is available here.

In the fall of 2020, WWU President's Council on Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice recommended the creation of the Bias Response Team. Since that time, new resources to better support Western’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts now exist through the Office of Equity and the Chief Diversity Officer. The Bias Response Team (BRT) now reports to the Chief Diversity Office.

Western Washington University established the Office of Equity (OE) in July 2021 to address the ongoing, campus-wide call for stronger leadership and coordination in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) across the campus. The office was created  to bring ADEI efforts into the University's organizational structure, enhancing their impact and coordination.