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. Further, the College is committed to anti-racism, the policy or practice of opposing racism and promoting racial acceptance.

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.

READ THE ANTI-RACISM COMMITMENT (VU login required)

REPORT A CLIMATE CONCERN

CLAS Diversity, Equity Inclusion Committee

The College DEI committee's mission is to ensure a diverse, equitable, culturally conscious and inclusive environment among our administration, faculty, staff, and students. In our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion we evaluate, hold accountable, and serve as a resource for college departmental Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees. We aspire to be a voice for all members of CLAS to foster active dialogue and initiatives that promote the University’s commitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive community.

CELEBRATING DIFFERENCE

POLICING AND JUVENILE JUSTICE

Paisley Hahn ’24 CLAS, Criminology and French and Francophone Studies double major, focused her senior research project on policing and juvenile justice. Using pedestrian stop data from Chicago and Philadelphia police departments, her thesis explores differences between adult and juvenile stops. “There are many problems with American policing, but it is also an incredibly difficult job, so meaningful reform that respects both law enforcement officers and communities is essential,” she says. “Looking at pedestrian stops, and particularly stops of juveniles, is useful to quantitatively assess how many and what types of young people may be interacting with the police.”

PASSION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

Maggie Winston ’24 CLAS, Gender and Women’s Studies major and Peace and Justice minor, developed a passion for social justice work at a young age. When she discovered the Villanova Chapter of the Philadelphia Justice Project, she knew she had to be involved. “I wanted to get involved in an organization geared towards social justice and women’s rights and the Philly Justice Project addresses both of those goals in its tireless effort to end the mass incarceration of women and girls,” Maggie explains. She started as a committee member and eventually served as president—helping her develop leadership skills and a deep commitment to social justice.

FORGOTTEN FOUNDERS OF BLACK STUDIES

Vincent Lloyd, PhD, a professor of Theology and Religious Studies and Director of the Center for Political Theology at Villanova University, was named a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow—one of 188 fellows selected for this prestigious fellowship based on “career achievement and exceptional promise.” Each fellow receives a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level under “the freest possible conditions.” During his Guggenheim Fellowship, Dr. Lloyd will be writing Harold Cruse: Contrarian Radical, a biography of one of the forgotten founders of Black studies, to be published by Yale University Press.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PERCEPTION

Language is all around us as we communicate and take in information from our senses every day. Psychology graduate student Ryan Henderson '20 CLAS, '24 MS and Joe Toscano, PhD, associate professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and director of the Cognitive Science Program, discuss their research on speech perception in the Word Recognition and Auditory Perception Lab. The researchers seek to address challenges with hearing loss and speech comprehension by deepening our understanding of language processing.