Inclusive Excellence is both an individual and a communal journey of discovery.
We take the first steps on this journey when we embrace humility, recognizing that no individual or community is expected to know everything.
In humility, we seek solidarity, committing to grow in the areas where we do not know.
Through solidarity, we promote justice, understanding the need for inclusive communities where everyone is welcomed, heard, appreciated, and valued.
We strive to create a community free from bias, a community that enhances each person's ability to learn and work in an environment where diversity is both embraced and valued. Diversity includes individual differences (e.g., personality, learning style, accommodation needs, and life experience) and group/social differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, academic discipline, religion, and worldview). Inclusion is the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity.
At Alvernia, inclusive excellence means creating a community:
- Where all feel valued and appreciated.
- Where there is evidence of cultural dialogue between people from diverse backgrounds.
- Where there is increasing acknowledgement and acceptance of difference.
- Where diverse constituencies participate in both academic and administrative decision-making.
- Where barriers to inclusion—whether policy, practice, or systemic—are identified and addressed.
