Office for Diversity & Inclusion

SHU’s Office for Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) purpose is to lead and collaborate in strategy development and implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that support our plans to create learning and working environments wherein everyone – students, faculty and staff – has the chance to thrive and succeed.

We Are Stronger Together

Sacred Heart University is founded on a mission to bring social justice to a broken world, and since our inception, we have been – continually and increasingly – committed to the realization of that goal – both within ourselves and the greater community.

As we reflect on great movements toward creating more equitable and inclusive societies, we see that strength was a result of a shared vision generated through collaborative effort. In essence, the innate understanding that “We are stronger together!” At SHU we address systemic inequities through self-interrogation, by championing unity and respecting the inherent worth and dignity of each other. We live the adage that the work of inclusion is the work of everyone.

Stronger Together is a message of action and hope for the future that will be evidenced by the efforts of many peoples’ hearts and minds in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Sacred Heart University.

Mission Statement

Sacred Heart University holds a vision of diversity and inclusion—for faculty, staff, students and the community—that is rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the liberal arts. We are committed to embracing and celebrating diversity – in all dimensions – as a necessary component of social justice, academic excellence and professional success. Our diversity and inclusion efforts prepare students –personally, professionally, on campus, in the academic environment, and in their chosen profession – to make a difference.

Vision

We aspire to achieve prominence in the Diversity space through programming, culture change, racial healing, and accountability focused on campus climate. We provide training and development of community members to learn about engaging and celebrating differences, and in recruitment, hiring and engagement practices. We will enhance our inclusion efforts in support of academic excellence, for retention of students, faculty, and staff.

Current State & Accomplishments

We utilize a goal-oriented change management process to guide individual and organizational change. ADKAR is an acronym that represents the five tangible and concrete outcomes that people need to achieve for lasting change: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. By outlining our diversity & inclusion goals in this manner, we believe we will equip leaders facilitating change, and support our employees throughout the process of building true culture change.

• Launching institutional DEI initiative: Stronger Together
• Redesigned and renamed former BRT to BEST – Bias Education & Support Team
• Delivered DEI training for all employees and students
• Developing intercultural competency for faculty through our inclusive teaching fellows
• Continue search committee work
• Convened LGBTQIA+++ task force
• Created and staffed new Multicultural Center
• DEI for students and student leader development

Transition & Future State Goals

In the current state, we are building and achieving the goals to move us toward the transition state: increasing knowledge, ability, and fluency with diversity and inclusion topics; and aiding in planning of our future state. These D&I development events support actions that are applicable to individuals’ development and institutional change. Institutional culture change requires multiple individual development actions (within each stage) – to make an impact on climate and culture and eventually that changes too!

Individual Development Events to Support Knowledge and Ability

• Immersive training in implicit bias, diversity and inclusion for executive leadership and the bias response team
• Faculty/Staff development events such as bias training, racial healing circles or book club discussions
• Develop reflective and restorative justice responses to bias incidents

Institutional Development Action Plans Supporting Awareness, Desire, Knowledge & Ability

• Integrating diversity awareness into Catholic Intellectual Traditions programs
• Engaging current staff/former students in Admissions Office strategies and initiatives to attract a more diverse student population
• Including an introduction to diversity and inclusion in our New Hire Orientation
• Further development of search committee training for faculty and leadership recruitment to diversify the faculty/staff ranks