Luther College is joining the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance

Luther College is the newest member of the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA) launched by the University of Southern California's Race and Equity Center.

Beginning in January, the center will host 12 gatherings on various aspects of equity. Member institutions may send up to eight faculty or staff members at no cost to each of these three-hour, synchronous learning sessions.

Said Luther President Jenifer K. Ward, "The resources and connections provided by the alliance will help Luther advance the goals within our current strategic plan to build an inclusive campus community that supports a diverse faculty, staff, and student body. LACRELA will provide Luther College with a network of similar institutions and a rich set of resources to help sustain our commitment and attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and it complements our ongoing collaboration with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest that is focused upon developing anti-racism skills and knowledge."

The USC center also is creating an online collection of resources for alliance member colleges, to be launched in the spring of 2021. This repository will include rubrics, videos, readings and case studies related to racial equity, to which all faculty and staff will have 24/7 access.

The presidents of member colleges will meet quarterly to share advice and strategies and identify ways to leverage the collective impact of the alliance on racial equity in higher education, particularly in liberal arts colleges.