The kids are back from January break and so is the student-run newspaper, The Argus:
After a months-long, nationwide search, the University announced in December 2023 that Willette Burnham-Williams would be the University’s next Vice President of Equity and Inclusion. This appointment follows the departure of Allison Williams ’81, who left the position in October 2022.
Sulan Bailey ’25 attended a lunch panel for each of the candidates and said that Burnham-Williams’ was a standout. Specifically, she got the impression that Burnham-Williams would bring a fresh, new approach to the role.
“During the student panel portion of Dr. Burnham-Williams’ visit to campus as a finalist for the position, I got the opportunity to have an informal chat with her [and] a couple of other students over lunch,” Bailey wrote in a message to The Argus. “In that conversation, she stood out because of her unique perspective on the role and status of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coming from an institution in a part of the country where offices like OEI are coming under fire from politicians, parents, and others. She was very vocal about her intention to prioritize and protect DEI initiatives within the Wesleyan community and advocate for them on a national level.
Burnham-Williams graduated from Trinity College-Hartford with a bachelor’s degree in English, and received a Masters of Education in Student Counseling and Personnel Services and a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from the University of South Carolina. She previously held positions as the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at the College of Charleston, and as Enterprise Chief Equity Officer at the Medical University of South Carolina.