An overarching goal for RPI is to be the most accessible, welcoming, and inclusive community we can be. This is a goal that we share as a community. So many people on the president's listening tour said they wanted to see a much greater focus on this at RPI.
That means being thoughtful about the challenges faced by anyone in the minority here and making sure that RPI’s warm and supportive culture extends to everyone.
We strive to propose and develop mutually agreed upon aspirational goals, strategies, actions, and initiatives to be taken by the Institute which nurture and sustain a diverse and inclusive living, learning, and working environment at Rensselaer that ultimately help us make real progress in strengthening Rensselaer’s efforts to become the most accessible, warm, welcoming, supportive, and inclusive community we can be.
Mission
It is time to consider ways to…
- make navigating a hilly campus with limited accessible buildings much easier for our disabled students
- lift any sense of isolation felt by our international students
- make sure our underrepresented minority students feel fully included in every aspect of life at Rensselaer
- support women students and faculty in departments where they are severely out-numbered—and even the playing field for them in their careers
- instill a sense of safety and belonging in the LGBTQ+ members of our community.
Beyond that, we need to be one Rensselaer in spirit and practice. We may have vastly different backgrounds and experiences, but we cannot allow this to divide us when there is so much potential ahead.
Framing Questions
- What is our history around issues of inclusion, welcome and community?
- What are our current activities at RPI?
- What are best practices at other (peer) institutions?
- What are our aspirations?
- What should we measure?
- What is the overall framework for an Institute-wide plan?
- What are the needed resources (e.g., Staff, Space, Programs, Operations)?
- How do we embrace the lived experience of our faculty, staff, and students?
- How do we foster the Undergraduate and Graduate Student experience and sense of community?
- How do we improve Access; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Belonging?
Some Big Questions
- What should the Gender Diversity of RPI (Students, Staff, and Faculty) be in 10 years?
- How do we better retain, nurture, and support diverse members of our community to achieve 95%+ retention among staff, faculty, and students?
- How do we ensure we imbue multicultural sophistication and a global view in our students, staff, and faculty?