Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Lead in building a more diverse and inclusive community
"We are an opportunity college—a place where students, staff, and faculty come together to transform their lives and build more just futures. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging represent the very heart of this transformation. We envision CLA as a community that uplifts people of diverse backgrounds, identities, perspectives, and viewpoints. A community that considers the wide-ranging needs of those we serve and work with. A community that acknowledges and strives to remove barriers that interfere with accessing higher education and with thriving during one’s time at the University."
John Coleman, dean
Our goal is for CLA to be a destination for curious, compassionate individuals who are committed to making our increasingly interdependent and diverse global community work for everyone. That’s why we’re increasing enrollment of underrepresented and underresourced students, diversifying our faculty across all disciplines, and promoting the expression and exploration of diverse perspectives and viewpoints—so that we all gain the background knowledge and analytical skills we need to understand and respect differences.
Land of 10,000 Perspectives
Making a More Just World
The Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender & Sexuality Studies (RIDGS) Center supports worldmaking—taking seriously the dreams of a society unshackled by racial hierarchies, colonialist policy, gender binaries, and the exclusion of disabled people. In 2021, the RIDGS Center grew out of the RIGS Initiative—formed in 2015 to “support innovative research, teaching, and community-building for scholars engaged with issues of race, indigeneity, gender, and sexuality”—adding disability studies to its focus.
Current director Keith Mayes is also a founding faculty member of RIDGS. He says, “RIDGS is one of a few centers in the country that coalesces the work of faculty and graduate students from so many disciplinary units serving our many internal constituencies while also engaging in public-facing work in the Twin Cities.” Visit the RIDGS website.