In her President’s Letters to the Community, Spelman College President Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell made an important announcement. She asked Vice President for Enrollment Management, Ingrid Hayes, to put together a task force to make a recommendation on the admission and enrollment of transgender students. There are 39 women’s colleges in the United States, but only a few have policies that explicitly include transgender students as eligible for enrollment. Some of those schools are Barnard, Smith and Wellesley.
In her inaugural speech earlier this year, President Campbell said that at Spelman College, all are welcome.
“Admission is granted to our circle of faith to all true believers,” she said, “White and Black, and brown and yellow; men and women, straight, gay and transgender; rich and poor; Christian, Jewish, Muslim — all faiths; north and south, east and west, spanning the seven continents.”
There’s a long way to go, but schools across the country can learn from Spelman taking a step toward more inclusion and opportunity for all.
