Diversity and inclusive excellence at Wheaton College is a work in progress; that is, a process that requires constant monitoring, honing, and refining. We must always be asking the questions: What should diversity look like and what does inclusive excellence mean for our type of small liberal arts institution? How can we achieve equity in today’s world and for the future?In the past 30 years, Wheaton has been engaged in several major initiatives that improved campus inclusion and diversity including:

  • Establishment of the Marshall Center for Intercultural Learning
  • Admitting the first class of males in 1988
  • Developing and implementing a gender-balanced curriculum with an infusion initiative
  • Hiring and mentoring a cohort of faculty of color who now are tenured faculty
  • Creation and implementation of the Council on Inclusion and Diversity (CID, formerly the President’s Action Committee on Inclusive Excellence or PACIE)
  • Development of the Faculty Affirmative Action Officer position
  • Establishing the Intercultural Board among student leadership
  • Creation of the Office of Service, Spirituality and Social Responsibility
  • Partnerships with organizations like the Posse Foundation, United World College and others that bring diverse students to campus
  • Actively recruiting students internationally
  • Creation of multiple student organizations and theme houses to promote and nurture diversity and inclusiveness
  • Creation of the Building Community Together Initiative
  • Creation of the Center for Social Justice and Community Impact and the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life
  • Establishment of DEAL
  • Establishment of the Office for Institutional Equity and Belonging.

 

Purpose and Outline of the Plan

While these previous efforts are important steps forward, they represent part of Wheaton’s ongoing attempts to support and promote inclusion and diversity. The purpose of this plan is to complement Wheaton’s overall strategic plan and also to provide specific goals and recommendations for promoting inclusion and diversity over the next 10 years.  This plan was developed by a campus-wide task force that worked throughout the 2016-2017 academic year.  Our task force was charged with developing specific and measurable goals, evaluating our current efforts, and prioritizing unmet needs. We consulted with all constituencies of the campus community to refine this Inclusion and Diversity Strategic Plan.

Ongoing Progress of the Plan