DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Ed Fierros, Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, talks to a student.

Diversity celebrates difference—of race, gender, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, political beliefs, religious tradition and more. Inclusion promotes a sense of belonging that empowers others—valuing and practicing respect for the talents, beliefs and backgrounds of all its members. And equity engages everyone—allowing people with marginalized identities an equal opportunity to grow, contribute and develop.

In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) includes a set of interrelated goals embedded in the University’s Augustinian mission and realized in three primary areas—first, the diversity of our students, staff, faculty and administration; second, the environment we cultivate by inviting others to be a real part of our community; and third, the courses, programs and professional opportunities we offer that provide the students, staff, faculty and administration an intercultural experience.

Commitment to DEI

Core curriculum diversity requirement

Consistent with the University’s Mission Statement and the new Core Curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students will take at least two courses designated as “diversity.” Learning to see through the eyes of other peoples and cultures is essential to becoming a citizen of the world. Beyond introducing students to the contextual study of diverse groups, diversity education must foster understanding of how individuals are affected within systems of power, oppression, deprivation, marginalization and privilege.

Academic programs

The College has several undergraduate and graduate degree programs relevant to DEI.

DEI Committees

In addition to the College's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, each department within the college has its own diversity committee, comprising of faculty, staff and students.

View the Department DEI committee chairs.

CELEBRATING DIFFERENCE

CHARLES A. WALSH III RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

Shama Huq ’21 MS, as student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, received the The Charles A. Walsh III Graduate Summer Research Fellowship for her project “Dysfunction in the Serotonin Circuit: Examining Modulation of the Kynurenine Pathway in Depressive Pathophysiology.” Emma Stein ’21 CLAS, a Psychological and Brain Sciences major, received The Charles A. Walsh III Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship for $3,500 for her research project, “Is the Privilege Walk providing what it claims to?”

LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

Presidential Scholar, Senior Advisor for Get Woke Nova and President of the Blue Key Society—are just a few of the accolades Michelle Charles ’21 CLAS has earned. She is the University’s first Black President of the Blue Key Society, leading a group of about 300 student tour guides and ambassadors. “I love Blue Key because of the impact we're able to have on prospective students,” she says. “During my time in leadership, I have made reinforcing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts my number one priority.” Majoring in Political Science and Spanish, Michelle aspires to practice public interest law and eventually run for elected office. In summer 2020 she interned with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, tracking national issues like healthcare disparities and conducting legislative and policy research.

NEW DEI COURSES

The College offers course initiative grants for faculty to develop new courses in diversity, equity and inclusion—strengthening faculty contributions to the College in ways that will benefit students, scholarship and intellectual life in relevant and responsible ways. Two course proposals earned this grant in 2020: “Surveillance, Big Data, Cultural Inequalities” by Raka Shome, PhD, Communication, and “Religion and Incarceration” by Rebecca Makas, PhD, Theology and Religious Studies.