Memo: Affirmative Action Program (1969)
Title
Memo: Affirmative Action Program (1969)
Description
This item includes multiple internal memos on the adoption and early implementation of affirmative action policies in employment at Villanova University.
In a November 4, 1969 memo from President Welsh announces the Board of Trustee’s approval of an affirmative action policy for Villanova University. The memo asks Father James T. Ryan, Director of the Office of Social Action, to initiate the process of affiliation with Project Equality and the Philadelphia Plan, two popular systems for affirmative action during the period.
The item also includes Villanova’s first Affirmative Action Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity statement, both approved by President Welsh on February 23, 1970.
Lastly, in an undated memo Father John M. Driscoll, Vice President for Academic Affairs, reminds the Academic Deans and Department Chairs at Villanova of the requirement to comply with all federal legislation on hiring for all positions under their departments. Fr. Driscoll notes that as a “holder of a government contract in excess of $10,000,” Villanova must comply with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting discriminiation on the basis of race, color, or national origin; as well as a 1968 Federal Executive Order prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.
The memo also includes guidelines from the federal Office of Civil Rights for hiring and implementation procedures.
Fr. Driscoll concluded his memo by noting that in the events of a review, the Office of Civil Rights could request records of steps Villanova had taken “to recruit minority candidates, the number of candidates who have applied, and the disposition of their applications.”
Fr. Driscoll's memo was likely written between October 1969 and July 1975 as he served in the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs.
In a November 4, 1969 memo from President Welsh announces the Board of Trustee’s approval of an affirmative action policy for Villanova University. The memo asks Father James T. Ryan, Director of the Office of Social Action, to initiate the process of affiliation with Project Equality and the Philadelphia Plan, two popular systems for affirmative action during the period.
The item also includes Villanova’s first Affirmative Action Policy and Equal Employment Opportunity statement, both approved by President Welsh on February 23, 1970.
Lastly, in an undated memo Father John M. Driscoll, Vice President for Academic Affairs, reminds the Academic Deans and Department Chairs at Villanova of the requirement to comply with all federal legislation on hiring for all positions under their departments. Fr. Driscoll notes that as a “holder of a government contract in excess of $10,000,” Villanova must comply with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibiting discriminiation on the basis of race, color, or national origin; as well as a 1968 Federal Executive Order prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.
The memo also includes guidelines from the federal Office of Civil Rights for hiring and implementation procedures.
Fr. Driscoll concluded his memo by noting that in the events of a review, the Office of Civil Rights could request records of steps Villanova had taken “to recruit minority candidates, the number of candidates who have applied, and the disposition of their applications.”
Fr. Driscoll's memo was likely written between October 1969 and July 1975 as he served in the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Creator
Rev. Robert J . Welsh, O.S.A.
Date
1969-11-04
Format
Document
Language
English
Attribution
VUA-2/28 "Correspondence/Affirmative Action 1969-1972," box 01, folder 03
Citation
Rev. Robert J . Welsh, O.S.A., “Memo: Affirmative Action Program (1969),” The Rooted Project , accessed December 3, 2023, https://rootedproject.org/items/show/156.