A Hero for Diversity

Last spring, the Reverend Warner Traynham, a former dean of the Tucker Foundation, gave the keynote address when Dartmouth's Affirmative Action Review Board recognized Professor Errol Hill for "exceptional achievement in enhancing diversity throughout the Dartmouth community." This essay was adapted from that speech. Hill, a recently retired member of the drama department whose honors include Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellow- ships, was pivotal for two decades in making the College a better employer.

Hill's involvement with efforts to recruit and retain minorities began in 1973 when he served as Dartmouth's affirmative action officer. It was during Hill's two-year tenure in that position that the College's original affirmative action plan was drafted and approved. Later Hill was instrumental in creating the position of child-care coordinator for the College and establishing a maternity leave policy and a salary equity review procedure.

Hill, who is now a professor emeritus, published a book in August titled BlackHeroes: Seven Plays. Hill's other writing projects include a history of Afro- American drama and theater. He is also putting the finishing touches on a history of Jamaican theater.