Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

At the University of the South, our commitment to inclusion and belonging is grounded in our core values of community, courage, flourishing, and inquiry. We seek to build a community enriched by our diversity and centered on equity, justice, mutual respect, and shared responsibility.

Our Vision

We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with mutual respect and dignity regardless of difference, and to feel a strong sense of belonging, connection, safety, and value within our community.

Our Mission

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is one of the University of the South's Four Pillars.
Our mission is to foster an equitable and inclusive living, learning, and working environment that allows each member of our community - students, faculty, and staff - to flourish. We achieve this mission by integrating equity, fairness, and care into our campus culture and institutional policies, practices, and programs.

The Office of Inclusive Excellence

The university is committed to fostering diverse, equitable, and inclusive living and learning environments for all student populations.

Department of Equity, Equal Opportunity, & Title IX

The University of the South is dedicated to creating an environment free of sex discrimination.

TRHT Campus Center

Sewanee's TRHT Campus Center is focused on four goals:

  1. Creating a positive narrative about race in our community
  2. Promoting racial healing activities on campus and in our community
  3. Erasing institutional barriers to equal treatment
  4. Preparing the next generation of leaders to build just and equitable communities

Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CDEI) serves as the advisory and recommending body to the Vice Provost of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer.

Indigenous Engagement Initiative

In November 2021, in recognition of National Indigenous/American Indian Heritage Month, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion launched the Indigenous Engagement Council (IEC), which has become the Indigenous Engagement Initiative (IEI).

CREATE Team

The Sewanee CREATE (Conversation-Rich Education for Anti-racist Teaching and learning Environments) team facilitates open, honest dialogues about race and racism that are open to all.

Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance
LACRELA

The University recently joined the Liberal Arts College Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA), a group of liberal arts colleges collaborating on antiracism initiatives. Our membership provides professional development tools for faculty and staff to lead more effectively on issues of racial justice and addressing race and equity issues, including regular meetings with peers, campus surveys, and online resources and tools.

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National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates
NACCC

Sewanee also is a participating institution in the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates (NACCC).  The NACCC is a quantitative survey administered annually at colleges and universities across the United States. This survey provides data about undergraduate students’ appraisals of institutional commitment to equity and inclusion, the extent to which they interact meaningfully with diverse others, where and what they learn about race and their feelings of readiness for citizenship in a racially diverse democracy, and other important topics.

In 2022, the NACCC will conduct surveys with staff and faculty to obtain appraisals of institutional commitment to workplace diversity, equity and inclusion.

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Consortium for Faculty Diversity
Sewanee is now an institutional member of the Consortium for Faculty Diversity.

The Consortium is committed to increasing the diversity of students, faculty members and curricular offerings at liberal arts colleges with a particular focus on enhancing the diversity of faculty members and of applicants for faculty positions. The Consortium was founded as an association of liberal arts colleges committed to strengthening the ethnic diversity of students and of faculty members at liberal arts colleges. The early goals of the Consortium with regard to faculty diversity included encouraging U.S. citizens who are members of under-represented minority groups to complete their graduate programs and to consider faculty employment in liberal arts colleges.

The Consortium invites applications for dissertation fellowships and post-doctoral fellowships from those who will contribute to increasing the diversity of member colleges by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, maximizing the educational benefits of diversity and/or increasing the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of students. Applicants must be able to provide evidence of U.S. citizenship or unconditional permanent residency status at the time of hire.

Appointments to the fellowships are made by the member institutions according to local needs and local program guidelines under the general framework for dissertation fellowships and post-doctoral fellowships described by the Consortium.

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Partner with DEI

Are you planning to bring a lecture, program, or other event to campus that connects to the values, vision, and mission of DEI? DEI has a limited amount of funding available on an annual basis for sponsorship of such events. Click the link below to make a request!