After more than two years of passionately working towards change at Elizabethtown College, Senior Advisor for College Diversity, Equity and Belonging Kesha Morant Williams has departed from campus.
Williams’ last day was Oct. 18. She will move to a new position as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.
“Kesha gave the values that already existed at Etown additional purpose in a way I haven’t seen going on 10 years of working here,” Etown Director of Student Opportunity, Access and Engagement Darcey Mills said. “The last two-and-a-half years since Kesha got here have had the most exciting changes, the most momentum and the most difference.”
At Etown, Williams served as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and was the only person of color on the team. She was also the first person to hold a position on the team relating to civil rights, diversity or equity. As a member of the team, Williams reported directly to President Betty Rider.
In addition to her role on the Senior Leadership Team, Williams oversaw the Office of Civil Rights, Opportunity and Access and also served at times as a professor of humanities and communications.
Nichole Gonzalez, Vice President for Student Life and the Dean of Students, will oversee the Office of Civil Rights, Opportunity and Access in the interim. The College has not made any announcements as to filling other roles.
Gonzalez said she will feel the loss of Williams’ presence on campus but hopes to keep her work alive. Gonzalez said the biggest impact of Williams’ departure will be on the students and staff with whom she had gotten to build strong personal connections.
“I think where that gap is going to be will be… the people she had those relationships with. They’re losing a person. They’re losing their person,” Gonzalez said.
One of Morant’s most notable accomplishments is Etown’s designation as a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. The designation labels Etown as an institution that fights to dismantle systemic racism and promote active methods of racial healing, and is a highly competitive designation.
Gonzalez and Mills both pointed to the Center as they discussed Williams’ impact.
“Ever since Kesha arrived at Etown, she has worked to change the landscape of this place,” Mills said. “She has bridged the divide between administration and faculty, she has set us up to get recognition on a nationwide scale/level through the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation framework, and she has given us a clear road map to follow if we’re serious about justice, equity and human dignity, the work that’s tied to the very core of Elizabethtown College.”
For her work at Elizabethtown College, Williams was praised in an emailed newsletter sent to the campus community. The email formally thanked Williams for her work at the institution and wished her luck on her future endeavors.
Gonzalez has a few goals in mind for the future of Etown.
“[Elizabethtown College] is looking into ways to improve retention of students at the institution because, while our retention numbers overall are really good, we have gaps in retention for students with marginalized identities,” Gonzalez said. “One of the most amazing things about Kesha is her ability to gather people who are willing to put in the work.”
The Office of Civil Rights, Opportunity and Access, the Coalition for Anti-Racist Education, and other identity-based clubs and organizations have called for the College to give them a plan for replacing Williams’ full position. The full letter, sent to administration, is available on page X.
