The Women of Color Task Force Publications include directories, newsletters, programs, brochures, and announcements, annual reports, clippings, posters, press releases, and programs of the Women of Color Career Conference. The publications are organized into two series: Unit Publications and Sub-Unit Publications.
In 1979, the Women of Color Task Force (initially known as the Minority Women Task Force) was created as a staff organization dedicated to providing career development and training opportunities for minority women employed at the university. Its first activity was to present a series of professional development workshops to empower and support African American women in their career advancement efforts at the University of Michigan. The Task Force, which had been predominantly African-American, experienced a major shift in its recruitment focus in the mid-1980s as it actively targeted Latina, Asian, and Native American women for membership. During the 1985 summer retreat, the members voted to change the name of the organization to the Women of Color Task Force.
The first series of workshops, which were offered over the course of eight weeks, were designed to provide minority women staff with the skills and confidence to advance within their departments, both for their benefit and the benefit of the University. The format consisted of small groups of women coming together to discuss employment concerns and career development opportunities within the workshop training modules. Their efforts, along with support from the UM Human Resources office and the UM Health System Training and Development Office, culminated in a one-day career development conference featuring eleven professional development workshops on February 25, 1983, attended by more than two hundred women.
The Annual Career Conference serves as a forum to assist the conference participants in gaining valuable and marketable skills while forming strategic professional alliances. The conference is held during the winter break and has an average attendance of over six hundred participants. It is open to the general public and includes a keynote speaker during the opening morning session, 50 professional development workshops, a networking luncheon and an exhibit area. The WCTF career conference is the only large-scale professional development event offered for staff and faculty at the University of Michigan.
The Task Force implemented a second major program initiative in 1986, the Woman of the Year Awards Program. These awards were designed to recognize women of color who were positive role models within the academic community but were not being recognized through regular university channels. A selection committee reviews nominations submitted by the deans, department chairs and directors of academic units for the Leadership (outstanding service as a project leader, administrator, or peer leader) and the Human Relations (improved group dynamics within the University Community, at the unit level or beyond awards. The Rebecca A. Vaughan Distinguished Service award is given to a WCTF member for exemplary community service and dedication to the organization.
After receiving many years of support from HRAA, the Women of Color Task Force became a part of the Center for the Education of Women (CEW) in 2002, receiving financial support from CEW. In addition to the conference and the staff recognition awards, the Task Force now offers mentoring and professional development workshops for its members and UM staff at the Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn campuses.
The Women of Color Task Force was the recipient of two university service awards in May 2009. The group received an inaugural 2008 University of Michigan Distinguished Diversity Leaders Team Award from Senior Vice Provost Lester Monts and the 2009 VOICES of the Staff Champion Award from Chief Human Resources Officer Laurita Thomas. WCTF was recognized for its continuing commitment to provide career development opportunities for all university personnel and to support the University in its efforts in recruiting and retaining a highly skilled workforce.
History from Box 6, Folder "History -- General." Additional information from http://www.cew.umich.edu/leadership/wctf/history, accessed October 22, 2012
