Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Arizona State University is deeply committed to positioning itself as one of the great new universities by seeking to build excellence, enhance access and have an impact on our community, state, nation and the world. Learn about ASU’s diversity philosophy.
The School of Human Evolution and Social Change affirms the urgent need for action to advance diversity, equity and inclusion as part of our academic mission and vision. We acknowledge the long history of exclusion, discrimination and erasure within the U.S. system of higher education, as well as the historical collusion of our own scholarly disciplines in perpetuating these inequalities and injustices. We further acknowledge the 22 tribal nations in Arizona, and that our campus is built on the indigenous homelands of the Akimel O’odham, Piipaash and other groups. We acknowledge these peoples, their ancestors, their descendants and the land itself. Accordingly, our school strives to embrace diversity, and enact justice and equity not only in teaching and research, but also in administrative decisions, leadership positions and hiring practices.
As a transdisciplinary unit designed to explore the human story more fully, our school is deeply committed to cultivating, with intention, an educational and working environment that is welcoming to historically marginalized students, faculty and staff with various intersecting dimensions of identity—including but not limited to, BIPOC; differently abled; first generation; international; LGBTQIA+; nontraditional; racially, ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse; undocumented/DACAmented; veteran; women; and working class. By extension, we are committed to engaging with, listening to, and honoring the cultural practices, intellectual traditions and unique knowledge of the diverse local and global communities with and among whom we work; and to creating opportunities and spaces for people to exchange perspectives within and beyond the classroom.
School leaders have asked a team of faculty, staff and students to propose and advocate for new initiatives that put our commitment to diversity into action. Questions regarding this effort may be directed to Meskerem Glegziabher, director of inclusion and community engagement.