Inclusive Excellence:
Harnessing the Power of Diversity: Every Wildcat, Every Day
Inclusive excellence is the engine that drives the value and practice of diversity and inclusiveness at the University of Arizona. At the center of Inclusive Excellence is the recognition and acceptance of the talents, worldviews, perceptions, cultures and skills that diverse communities bring to the educational enterprise that can be harnessed to prepare students for leading, living and working in a diverse world. Native American, LGBTQ, Asian American, White, Latinx, Black, gender diverse, veterans, people with disabilities, Jewish, Christian, International, Muslim, fraternities and sororities, athletes, alumni and many other communities of students, staff and faculty contribute positively to all dimensions of the university. Every individual and group at UA is a critical component of and contributor to diversity and inclusiveness. Making a difference in diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Arizona is how we harness the power of diversity in Every Wildcat, Every Day!
Our Goal
Our university mission, to “continuously improve how we educate and innovate so we can lead the way in developing adaptive problem-solvers capable of tackling our greatest challenges” is needed now more than every before. Diversity, equity, and inclusion continues to be one of our greatest global challenges and our goal is to develop thought-leaders who can advance inclusive excellence in innovative and impactful ways.
Achieving this goal requires Every Wildcat, Every Day to engage in the rich diversity of our students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni and community constituents. Harnessing the Power of Diversity: Every Wildcat, Every Day takes more than a short-term project or the effort of a single office, this comprehensive approach engages everyone in complete cultural institutional transformation by embedding and practicing Inclusive Excellence in every endeavor, aspect and level of the university. Our collective, institutional goal is to make diversity and inclusiveness a habit that is implemented and practiced by everyone consistently throughout the university.
Our Purpose
We seek to create a vibrant, action-oriented, engaged university with the expectation that everyone will contribute towards individual and collective inclusive excellence. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values for the University of Arizona and offer a competitive advantage in attracting faculty, staff, students and their partners. Moreover, diversity allows the institution to prepare students to be leaders in global contexts.
Our Charge - Diversity Strategic Plan
As we move even further beyond rhetoric towards sustainable, accountable, action-oriented practices, we will launch our Diversity Strategic Planning process through the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI). In June 2021, ODI will begin working with every college, administrative unit, and division to gather your diversity, equity, and inclusion goals to develop strategies and tactics that align with our institutional vision. At this point, we are not creating new strategies but gathering current strategies so that we may identify areas of opportunity. Join ODI at an info session on the following dates to learn more about our path forward:
