Diversity
CLAHS Diversity Statement
The college diversity committee is reflective of the merger of two units, the former College of Human Sciences and Education and the Division of Liberal Arts which was partitioned from the College of Arts and Sciences. Both units have a long and distinguished history of diversity work. The college diversity committee serves in an advisory capacity to the dean and is led by a steering committee consisting of faculty and the Associate Dean. Membership on the committee is open to faculty, staff, and students in the college. Representation from each department is encouraged. Four to six meetings are held during the academic year; sub-committee meetings are held as needed.
Our values, as stated in our diversity plan are:
- To enhance the quality of life of individuals and families across the life span by creating and maintaining a body of student, faculty, and staff which reflects the cultural diversity of the state of Virginia and the national population.
- To create opportunities for intellectual stimulation that are derived from an appreciation of multiple perspectives that are brought to the center and are allowed to flourish within a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.
- To build an infrastructure that promotes the full participation of all groups in the decision-making processes across the curriculum and administrative affairs of the College
- To foster a supportive forum which channels and rewards internal and external collaborative initiatives and partnerships that recognize interlocking systems of oppression and privilege, in our teaching, research and outreach agendas.
Recent projects sponsored by the diversity committee include a yearly event organized with Black History Month, featuring a keynote speaker open to the campus community, guest lectures to undergraduate and graduate classes, a diversity resource database, the creation of a diversity hiring plan for the college, and faculty teaching workshops. Topics have included Affirmative Action, Transnational Feminism, and the use of independent video in classrooms to teach about the politics of representation.
The diversity committee has a strong presence in the required undergraduate orientation class for all Human Sciences majors, as well as in the faculty association. We’ve paid particular attention to campus climate issues, creating a video with our own students as narrators. Our students describe their stories of being persons of color, or a sexual minority, or a person with a disability on a campus that consists predominantly of the “default norm” of white, middle class, heterosexual, able-bodied, and the like. When faculty members hear students describe their marginalization, it has had a profound impact on raising consciousness and respect for difference on campus.