History: The First Task Force on Minority Alumni Relations

The current Task Force on Minority Alumni Relations builds upon the work of the original Task Force on Minority Alumni Relations, which was formed in 1994 and served through 1996. Then-Provost Condoleeza Rice established the Task Force to “develop fundamental recommendations for improving the level of engagement between the University and its alumni of color.”

Under the leadership of Chair Charles Ogletree, the first Task Force gathered information on minority alumni perspectives, compiled an inventory of organizations and resources available to students and alums, identified current campus issues of potential interest to minority alumni, and explored ways of increasing coverage of minority alumni in University and Alumni Association publications. The Task Force hosted regional caucuses in ten cities across the country to survey minority alumni perspectives. More than 300 alumni participated in these caucuses and provided important perspectives on issues of concern to the University. The Task Force also conducted a comprehensive survey of minority alumni regarding their attitudes toward Stanford.

In October 1996, the Task Force issued a comprehensive report of its findings and made a series of recommendations to increase, in quality and scope, alumni participation and engagement. Because individual alumni’s feelings toward the University are in large part shaped by their experiences as students, the Task Force also recommended efforts to better understand the formative experiences minority students undergo at Stanford and to increase minority student-alumni interactions.

One of the Task Force’s key recommendations was the creation of a staffed Alumni Volunteer Clearinghouse to consolidate and improve accessibility to participation opportunities at the University. As a direct result of the Task Force’s work, the Stanford Alumni Association created the Volunteer Clearinghouse. The Volunteer Clearinghouse is an online database that encourages alumni to match their interests with the needs of the University, in an effort to reconnect and engage alumni in meaningful volunteer opportunities related to Stanford.

The original Task Force raised the level of awareness of issues important to alumni of color and began important efforts to collect information regarding minority alumni that informs policy decisions at the University. The Task Force’s work serves as a milestone of the University’s efforts in serving, involving, and valuing alumni of color.

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