About the Council

History

The Diversity Council was established in Fall 2008 under the authority of the Office of the Provost of Rollins College, building on work done over the previous decade by the Diversity Task Force and the Diversity Committee. The Diversity Council reports to the Office of the President.

Statement of Purpose

The Diversity Council seeks to foster and to model a campus environment that is welcoming, safe, and inclusive to all of our administrators, faculty, staff, and students. We view differences (e.g. nationality, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, physical ability, learning styles, perspectives, etc.) not as obstacles to be overcome but as rich opportunities for understanding, learning, and growth. In that light, we make the following ongoing commitments:

• Promote multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills through campus-wide formal and informal training and development;
• Promote institutional policies and practices at Rollins that invite and reinforce inclusiveness;
• Provide support for marginalized faculty, staff, and students and champion recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students from diverse communities;
• Provide support for programming that focuses on issues of diversity;
• Serve as advocates and active agents of social and political change consistent with the mission statement of Rollins College;
• Advise the college administration, faculty, staff, and student governance committees, and other campus groups regarding issues of diversity, inclusion, and other related issues.