Our intellectual community of the College of Arts & Sciences at Boston University depends upon the critical but collegial collaboration of diverse individuals from multiple communities of origin, religious traditions, ethnic and racial backgrounds, gender and sexual identities, schools of thought and ethical and political commitments, some living with disabilities. Furthermore, our mission as a tax-exempt private educational institution is to serve the public good by educating and nurturing research and discovery. These goals can only be achieved through a diverse, inclusive, and accessible environment, in which all people are, and feel themselves to be, respected as moral equals engaged in a common pursuit of expanding the boundaries of our knowledge and creativity.
Boston University has from its beginnings offered educational opportunity to all people, regardless of race, creed, or sex, and has served for over 170 years as a beacon of progress for society. Yet, any institution that wishes to make truthful claims must, from time to time, take stock of how well its reality meets its visionary goals. By many measures, BU lacks the racial diversity that is required for an institution to be at the forefront of discovery. To read a note from Dean Cudd about the importance of faculty diversity please click here.
Released in Fall 2016, the Boston University Report of the Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion calls for, among other things, “the development of strategic plans for faculty diversity and inclusion across all BU schools and colleges.” In response to this charge, the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) hereby constituted a Committee to answer to this recommendation by creating a Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan to achieve the goals of the College and the University Task Force with respect to diversity and inclusion. Please click here to read about the Charge to Committee, and to learn more about Boston University’s Task Force on Diversity, please click here.
The Committee sought a broad consensus through College-wide discussions that included faculty, staff, students, and alumni of the College. They developed a strategic report that offers a truly comprehensive vision and addresses many topics including: faculty and staff diversity, the climate for diversity, the need for governance, as well as the diversity of students and the Boston University curriculum. To learn more about the College of Arts & Sciences’ efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion, please click here.