Hartwick college

With thanks to the Pluralism Advisory Committee which authored the statement, the Board of Trustees approved the following policy statement at its October 10, 2003 meeting.

Hartwick College values pluralism: a state in which diverse groups co-exist and interact without necessarily losing their individual identities. We seek to critically address and reduce all forms of prejudice, to foster diversity, and to reduce ethnocentrism and intolerance. Our goal is to increase the presence of underrepresented groups on campus, improve the quality of life of students of racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and broaden the understanding, awareness, and appreciation of diversity among all members of the Hartwick community.
 
The Hartwick College community is dedicated to uncovering, exploring, critiquing, and overcoming the societal conditions that undermine the ideal of a pluralistic society. We strive to foster democratic values and responsible national and global citizenship. We strive to create a climate that maximizes each individual’s capacity to learn and work, and an institution in which diversity is embraced, valued, and celebrated.

In approving the above statement, the Trustees charged me with the responsibility of implementing actions necessary to achieve the letter and spirit of the document. To that end, with the advice and support from the Pluralism Advisory Committee, chaired by Harry Bradshaw Matthews, a list of whose members follow at the end of this memo, I will focus efforts to ensure that differences in the following areas become transparent in the Hartwick student, faculty, and staff community.

• Ethnic, racial, regional and national identities
• Gender
• Social economic class
• Religious beliefs
• Sexual orientation
• Learning differences
• Occupation
• Marital status
• Age
• Physical or mental impairments

We will pay particular attention to existing initiatives to enhance the diversity of our student body, focusing on enrollment, student life, and student support services. Additionally, we will be making a special effort to ensure that all employment searches result in a diverse pool of candidates with particular regard to issues of race, ethnicity and national identity. I request and expect the full support of the entire campus community to support activities to achieve the objectives of the diversity statement. I am happy to talk with any of you, if you have questions about it.

President Richard Miller
October 2003

Pluralism Advisory Committee: