NYU is committed to building a culture that respects and embraces diversity, inclusion, and equity, believing that these values – in all their facets – are, as President Andrew Hamilton said, “…not only important to cherish for their own sake, but because they are also vital for advancing knowledge, sparking innovation, and creating sustainable communities. They should be indispensable elements of an NYU education on all of our campuses. A diverse population encounters and appreciates all perspectives of an issue with a wealth of different approaches to confront it. The result is a higher quality of debate, and a more excellent and advanced academic enterprise.”
NYU’s past is not without blemish when it comes to its commitment to diversity and inclusion; in spite of some strides since NYU’s founding, we have fallen short. Awareness of this history makes us more committed to taking concrete steps to build an institution that truly recognizes the contributions of all its members.
As NYU’s Provost, Katherine Fleming, said in a September 2016 equity, diversity, and inclusion event, “NYU Together”:
“Cosmopolitanism at NYU doesn’t simply mean that we should have as diverse a student body, a faculty, and a staff as possible – obviously, we should have all those things. But once such a diverse group comes together and forms a community, it is not sufficient for everyone here to feel as though they contributed as part of ‘this category’ or ‘that category.’ Instead, we ought to work hard to make this a community where everyone has a truly cosmopolitan mindset – as part of the broadest possible understanding that we can have about what humankind is. And to really make diversity, equity, and inclusion come about, we have an obligation to make all people feel comfortable in that space, because we have defined our community in the broadest possible way.”
NYU faculty, students, administrators, and staff should be fully committed to a vision of equity, diversity, and inclusion at NYU that encompasses that idea, and that by being in some of the world’s greatest and most diverse urban centers, NYU has an opportunity to lead. Such a commitment in word and in deed would be in line with NYU’s mission, history, understanding of excellence in the 21st century, and our aspirations to produce leaders in all fields.
In New York and on its campuses and locations throughout the world, NYU is committed to:
- fostering intellectual inquiry, research, and artistic practices that respectfully and rigorously take account of a wide range of opinions, perspectives, and experiences.
- promoting an inclusive community in which diversity is valued and every member feels they have a rightful place, is welcome and respected, and is supported in their endeavors.
- developing and supporting programs and policies that measurably improve NYU's record of attracting and retaining students, as well as hiring and promoting faculty, administrators, and staff from historically underrepresented communities.
- building structures that promote inclusiveness and equity for all members of the NYU community, especially our colleagues from marginalized groups.
