To truly live our institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within this local context and within our broad national and global context demands that we—as a community and as a college—go beyond acknowledging systemic injustice and inequity. The creation of a more vibrant and inclusive future for all requires us to be courageous and tireless in crafting and implementing institutional policies that support our commitment and fully participating in rich, collaborative, and intersectional relationships and practices within our community that value authenticity and strengthen our shared humanity.
As an institution committed to serving the public good, at Ithaca College:
We strive every day to make our institution accessible, student-ready, inclusive, and equitable, particularly for those who have been impacted by systemic disadvantages, marginalization, and exclusion.
We commit ourselves to pursuing growth, change, and action grounded in the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) model of inclusive excellence, a framework specifically designed to ensure student learning, belonging, and success.
We share responsibility and accountability for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, in all its forms, beginning with the recruitment, retention, and empowerment of students, staff, and faculty from historically underrepresented and underserved communities.
We maintain that our institutional strength and vibrancy is derived from the varied knowledge of our students, faculty members, staff, administrators, alumni, members of our Board of Trustees, and community partners; and so we strive to build a curriculum and campus culture that reflects our lives as members of multiple intersecting communities, experiences, identities, and abilities.
We thrive on the free and open exchange of ideas and work hard to foster an intentional community of mutual respect—one rooted in collaborative dialogue and challenging intellectual discourse- while asserting that prejudice and discrimination serve only as hinderances to our learning. Ithaca College does not condone and will not tolerate any form of discrimination.
We know that honest dialogue around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility can be challenging and uncomfortable, but we hold that it is necessary in preparing our students for success in an ever-evolving global society.
We invite you to join the conversation.