Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in CLA
CLA is a destination for curious, compassionate individuals who are committed to making our increasingly interdependent and diverse global community work for everyone. That foundational commitment begins in our CLA Constitution. CLA is committed to increasing enrollment of underrepresented and under-resourced students, diversifying our faculty across all disciplines, recruiting and retaining a diverse staff, 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.
- Recent Commitments
- Working in CLA
- Studying in CLA
- Resources for Undergraduate Students
- Resources for Graduate Students
- Academic Expertise, Outreach, and Engagement in CLA
Recent Commitments
As part of the college’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, here are a few of the initiatives underway during the 2020-21 academic year intended to strengthen that commitment.
- The college opened a search for an associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Over 80 CLA staff and faculty members gathered virtually in August 2020 for our first annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summit. The summit aimed to help connect resources and colleagues, discuss what has been successful in departmental DEI work, what challenges departments face in this space, and what the college could do to assist departmental DEI efforts. A similarly-attended summit was also held for CLA administrative units in October 2020.
- Nearly 50 of our faculty are also participating in the Building Capacity for Engaging Diversity in Undergraduate Education Cohort, offered by the CLA Office of Undergraduate Education and led by Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington, a national leader on this topic.
- CLA’s Office of Institutional Advancement is hosting the What’s Next? roundtable series, addressing the power of business and philanthropy in the pursuit of racial justice, CLA alumni seeking social change, curriculum and pedagogy in K-12, and policing in Minneapolis.
- The college is committed to reducing equity gaps in graduation rates.
- CLA is establishing an equity lens policy review committee in spring 2021.
- CLA is an active participant in the President's Postdoctoral Fellow Program and is currently recruiting candidates in the 2020-2021 cycle.

Working in CLA
"Diverse peoples, perspectives, and viewpoints make us stronger and better as individuals and an institution... . A welcoming environment of inclusion and belonging will be critical to people in CLA thriving, staying, and having the full impact that they can have with their research, teaching, engagement, and service." —John Coleman, CLA Dean
At the University of Minnesota, we value having a diversity of views and experiences that enrich our campus community and foster excellence. We are dedicated to creating a campus culture that respects everyone equally. Learn more about working at the University of Minnesota. Our annual State of the College report also includes a wide variety of demographic information regarding our community of faculty, staff, and students.
Fall 2020
23%
Faculty of Color
20%
Staff of Color
49%
Female Faculty
Indigenous Staff & Staff of Color Community
CLA's Indigenous Staff & Staff of Color Community promotes personal and professional growth through shared experiences, resources, and strategies for staff of color. It launched in December 2017 to help advance the college’s goal of cultivating a welcoming and respectful climate in its diverse intellectual community. It is an active organization that includes members from throughout the college. To learn more about this community, view their On Purpose profile or visit The Neighborhood (CLA's intranet).

Studying in CLA
Fall 2020
25%
First Generation Undergraduate Students
32%
Undergraduate Students of Color
18%
Graduate Students of Color
Resources for Undergraduate Students
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advising Program
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Program is an academic advising office within the College of Liberal Arts, and it is available to any CLA student who appreciates an environment that embraces and fosters multiculturalism.
President's Emerging Scholars Advising Program
The President's Emerging Scholars Program offers a number of services that address the needs of students with diverse backgrounds and characteristics, including urban students, first-generation college students, rural students, student parents, students with disabilities, students of color, older students, and non-native speakers of English.
Resources for Graduate Students
Learn more about the different diversity programs, initiatives, and fellowships available to graduate students.

Academic Expertise, Outreach, and Engagement in CLA
Race, Indigeneity, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Established in 2015, the Race, Indigeneity, Gender & Sexuality Initiative (RIGS) in the College of Liberal Arts was created to support innovative research, teaching, and community-building for scholars engaged with issues of race, indigeneity, gender, and sexuality. RIGS is dedicated to bringing faculty and students together to pursue lines of inquiry that challenge systems of power and inequality, assert human dignity, and imagine social transformation. Learn more about the Race, Indigeneity, Gender & Sexuality Initiative.
In August 2020, RIGS launched a collection of online resources about racial justice at the University of Minnesota.
CLA is also a supporter and donor to the CLA-faculty-led Black Midwest Initiative, a "collective of scholars, students, artists, organizers, and community-involved people who are committed to advocating for the lives of people of African descent as they are situated throughout the Midwest and Rust Belt regions of the United States."
Faculty Expertise Around Issues of Race, Justice, Dignity, and Respect
Our faculty, across a wide range of departments, are bringing their insights and expertise to benefit and teach local, national, and international communities. This depth of understanding leads to their being called upon by media for insights and clarity—especially during times of tragedy.
Departmental Statements of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
In addition to our College-wide commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, several departments have shared their commitments on their websites. Read about them in the links below.
- Anthropology
- Communication Studies
- English
- Geography, Environment & Society
- Human Rights Program
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Spanish & Portuguese Studies
- Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
- Statistics
- Writing Studies