Inclusive Excellence
Intentionally Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Welcome
The Graduate School at the University of Louisville values an environment of inclusiveness that empowers us all to achieve our highest potential without fear of prejudice or bias. We commit ourselves to building a welcoming educational community that offers a nurturing and challenging intellectual climate, a respect for the variety of human diversity, and an understanding of the many differences that enrich a vibrant metropolitan research university.
The University of Louisville is dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where every individual feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
Whether you are beginning your academic journey or continuing your studies with us, know that you are part of a community that celebrates differences and strives for excellence. We are committed to creating spaces where diverse perspectives are not only heard, but also embraced and integrated into the fabric of our educational experience.
The Graduate School’s Inclusive Excellence programs and initiatives are designed to support your growth, both personally and academically, and to prepare you for a global society. We believe that inclusivity is the cornerstone of innovation and success, and we are here to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive.
Guiding Definitions
The various backgrounds, lived experiences, values, and worldviews that stem from difference in culture and circumstance. This includes, but is not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender and gender expression, age, religion, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and geographic region.
A comprehensive approach through which welcoming communities engage their diversity and address barriers to equity in order to achieve distinction in student intellectual and social development, institutional functioning, and local and global engagement.
The active process of identifying and eliminating or reducing the structural barriers related to race, class, disability and gender and other identities that limit access or prevent full participation.
The intentional act to include difference and create environments where any individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported, valued and given the opportunity to fully participate.
The extent to which people know and feel that they are valued, respected, included, and celebrated for their individual and unique contributions and identities.
Land Acknowledgement
In the spirit of supporting and fostering learning through the generation and sharing of knowledge, we would like to acknowledge that the land we are meeting on today is the original homeland of the Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Osage tribal nations. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land on which we gather.
Con el espíritu de apoyar y fomentar el aprendizaje a través de la generación y el intercambio de conocimientos, quisiéramos reconocer que la tierra en la que nos reunimos hoy es la patria original de las naciones tribales Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Osage. Reconocemos la dolorosa historia de genocidio y expulsión forzada de este territorio, y honramos y respetamos a los diversos pueblos indígenas que aún están conectados a esta tierra en la que nos reunimos.