College of William and Mary, VA Statement on Diversity

Type: Policy

Status: Approved on 11/17/06

Source File: http://web.wm.edu/diversity/collegestatement.php?&=&svr=www

Text:

The College of William and Mary in Virginia is a community of teachers, students, and staff who share our national ideals of human equality, democracy, pluralism, and advancement based on merit. We give life to these principles—and prepare women and men to be citizens of the wider world—when we value diverse backgrounds, talents, and points of view.

As a community, William and Mary believes that cultural pluralism and intellectual freedom introduce us to new experiences, stimulate original ideas, enrich critical thinking, and give our work a broader reach. We cannot accomplish our mission of teaching, learning, discovery, and service without such diversity.

William and Mary belongs to all Virginians, to the nation, and to the world. Yet our College, like our country, failed for many years to open the door of opportunity to all people. In recent decades, William and Mary has made itself a more diverse community, and thus a better one. Structures and habits that create injustices, however, have yet to be fully banished from American society. We are committed to establishing justice.

The College of William and Mary strives to be a place where people of all backgrounds feel at home, where diversity is actively embraced, and where each individual takes responsibility for upholding the dignity of all members of the community.