The Saint Anselm College Statement on Inclusiveness, Statement on Inclusiveness and Sexual Orientation and Nondiscrimination Policy all highlight the institution's commitment to diversity and inclusion. However, transforming an institution requires more than words, good will, and good intentions.
The President's Committee on Diversity and Inclusiveness is a dedicated group of faculty, staff and students who aid the Saint Anselm community in outlining and achieving its strategic, diversity goals. Beyond this committee, people across the college have been diligently working to support inclusive efforts. The addition of an inclusive component to the New Student Orientation Program, creation of a Sexual Orientation Task Force and assessment initiatives, such as the Campus Climate Survey, are important milestones on this journey.
Statements
In order to realize our mission as a Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college, Saint Anselm College is committed to sustaining an intentionally inclusive environment that will benefit all constituencies. In particular, the college is committed to providing students with the richest opportunities to learn, both in the classroom and within the environment of the college community as a whole.
We accomplish this, in part, by fostering understanding, experience, and appreciation of the world's diversity through the academic curriculum, with its spirit of scholarly inquiry and respectful discourse; through a variety of service, co-curricular, religious, and academic activities and support mechanisms; and through the different perspectives and backgrounds of the members of our community.
Committed to our Catholic mission, Saint Anselm College aspires to bring together a faculty, staff, and student body that enhances this educational endeavor with diverse scholarly interests, ideas, beliefs, experience, talents, and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
At Saint Anselm College we recognize the dignity and diversity of our community members. We practice mutual respect for one another at all times and in all spaces. As a Catholic Benedictine community and a liberal arts college dedicated to the lifelong pursuit of truth, we embrace our unique backgrounds and experiences and acknowledge how difference strengthens our community. We strive to remove barriers to create a culture of equity where all students are provided the opportunity and access to excel academically, socially, personally, and spiritually.
Saint Anselm College commits to:
- Fostering a welcoming and inclusive student-ready learning and living environment that promotes a sense of belonging for all its members
- Educating community members so they can grow intellectually, morally, and spiritually in knowledge of systems of power at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels
- Pursuing equity through data-informed processes and challenging conversations
- Providing opportunities to report and respond to all forms of bias and
discrimination such as racism, homophobia, and ableism
To meet our commitments, we must resolve to use our knowledge and understanding to collectively remove barriers at every level by engaging in intentional, transformative education and planning that ensures that every student has what they need to succeed in an environment that promotes justice and equity.
Proposed by the Saint Anselm Equity in Retention Team (Fall 2023); Approved by the Senior Administrative Leadership Team SALT (December 2023)
President's Committee on Diversity and Inclusiveness
The President's Committee on Diversity and Inclusiveness will work closely with the president and the cabinet to foster and direct progress toward institution-wide inclusiveness.
Its charge will include, but will not be limited to, the following:
- Maintain the institutional focus on inclusiveness as a high priority goal.
- Coordinate campus climate assessment.
- Regularly monitor and report on institutional progress toward inclusiveness goals.
- Plan and oversee institution-wide education and training on inclusiveness.
- Initiate specific proposals to the president regarding inclusiveness.
- Assist the college to maintain ongoing communication with all its constituencies regarding progress toward inclusiveness.
- Assist the College in formulating strategies to identify, recruit, and retain an inclusive, multi-cultural, and diverse student body.
Saint Anselm College Climate Assessment Project
The first Campus Climate Assessment was conducted in 2007. Since that time, assessments have been completed in 2012, 2016 and 2020. The assessments measured specifically four areas among students, faculty and staff at Saint Anselm College: their attitudes and behaviors toward multiculturalism; the campus climate for diversity; the experiences of diverse subgroups; and how well Saint Anselm College has achieved a welcoming environment. The 2012 assessment indicates significant advances among students, faculty, and staff toward greater awareness and tolerance of diversity, as well as more desire for a welcome, inclusive environment and more sense that the college had made progress in that direction.
The hallmark of inclusiveness is open and honest dialogue. All members of the college community are encouraged to read the report, discuss it, and to communicate their thoughts, concerns, and recommendations to the members of the President's Steering Committee on Diversity and Inclusiveness, or to send an e-mail to Stephanie Fernandez, Chair of the Steering Committee.
The full report is available on the College Portal, MyAnselm. Once you log on, you can access the report in the Inclusiveness section of the portal.