Diversity and Inclusion
Our commitment to creating an inclusive community
The University of Rochester envisions itself as a community that welcomes, encourages, and supports individuals who desire to contribute to and benefit from the institution’s missions of teaching, research, patient care, performance, and community service. In a pluralistic culture, that community includes faculty, students, and staff who represent important differences.
Read more:
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The University’s statement on diversity and inclusion
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The University’s statement of educational philosophy
Diversity and Inclusion: Schools and Centers
Each of the University’s schools and colleges have offices devoted to diversity initiatives at the school level.
- Arts, Sciences & Engineering
- Eastman School of Music
- School of Medicine and Dentistry
- School of Nursing
- Simon Business School
- Warner School of Education
- University of Rochester Medical Center
2018 Annual Diversity Conference
Keynote Speaker: Ana Navarro
April 13, 2018
Ana Navarro, Republican Strategist and political analyst for CNN and CNN En Español, will be the keynote speaker at the 2018 Annual Diversity Conference on Friday, April 13.
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News and announcements
Currently, she serves as a University of Rochester higher education administrator and director of diversity programming. Among her multiple responsibilities, she is “a primary developer and facilitator of the university’s Implicit Bias educational trainings.” She describes the training as a “safe space to address racism,” and to cultivate “cultural humility” — an appreciation of others’ perspectives.
Beckford talks about the value of diversity as he begins his new role as the University’s first senior director of staff diversity, equity, and inclusion. “I actually think it’s a work in progress,” he says. “I don’t think you ever achieve a plateau where you can say, ‘We’re there.’”
The We’re Better Than That committee celebrated the annual International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21st. Members of the University community were invited to take a pledge to be an “antiracism warrior” via a digital platform.The names of those who took the pledge were displayed in real time on the giant screen in the Rettner Hall atrium.
John Barker ’09W (PhD) says his goals for higher education have always included three tenets: “access, equity, and social justice for all.” As of March 1, he is fulfilling those missions at Rochester in the newly created role as senior associate dean of the faculty for Arts, Sciences & Engineering.
Programs and Initiatives
Racism and Hate Speech: ‘We’re better than THAT’
The “We’re better than THAT” campaign educates students, faculty and staff on ways to approach difficult conversations on divisive topics and to stop hate speech and racism in our community.
Safe Space Training
The Safe Space program addresses ways to reduce homophobia and heterosexism to make our institution a safer and freer environment for all members of our community regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
BUILD Xavier
BUILD Xavier (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) is a part of a larger initiative by the National Institutes of Health: Enhancing the Diversity of the NIH-funded workforce. Xavier University of Louisiana has developed a program called Project PATHWAYS, which includes several components targeting students, faculty, and several non-academic centers on Xavier’s campus. The University of Rochester is one of the partnering institutions with Xavier University. This program encourages diversity in the scientific research workforce.
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