Carleton College’s Statement on Diversity
Carleton College aspires to provide a liberal arts education that equips students
with the skills to lead a fully realized life in a diverse and changing world. A
Carleton education recognizes that the world’s people differ in their race and
ethnicity, culture, political and social worldviews, religious and spiritual
understandings, language and geographic characteristics, gender, gender
identities and sexual orientations, learning and physical abilities, age, and social
and economic classes.
It is essential to our high academic standards that we be committed to creating a
diverse campus community because:
•
Carleton has a responsibility to educate talented and diverse students,
and we have a strong commitment to underrepresented groups.
•
Carleton students must meaningfully encounter difference in order to
grow personally and live fruitfully in society and contribute to its work.
The core principles of a liberal arts education are based on mutual respect,
communication, and engagement, which commits us to create and affirm a
culture of respect for people in all aspects of their lives. Carleton seeks to
provide a welcoming and safe living and learning space, while we also
recognize that the pursuit of a liberal arts education can involve discomfort and
disagreement. Carleton affirms that the college and its community grow in
understanding when established views are challenged.
A community that fosters diversity of thought and an open exchange of ideas
can only emerge from the participation of individuals with different
backgrounds and worldviews. Because creative and talented people come from
many places and have many backgrounds, Carleton College is dedicated to
attracting and retaining a diverse faculty, staff, student body, and Board of
Trustees and sees this as among our highest priorities. Carleton’s commitment to
diversity will sustain and enrich the learning and living environment that defines
the institution and its place in the world.
Approved by the Diversity Initiative Group (unanimously), October 17, 2006
Approved by the Faculty (unanimously), November 6, 2006
Approved by the College Council (unanimously) January 15, 2007
Approved by the Board of Trustees (unanimously) May 19, 2007
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