Statement on Diversity

The Information School is committed to an environment that prepares information professionals to address the information needs of an increasingly diverse and global population. To this end we seek to integrate diversity as an inherent value throughout the fabric of our School. We are dedicated to attracting and nurturing a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff who value, promote, and support diversity. It is our aim to encourage an Information School community that is inclusive of multiple viewpoints. We believe that cultivation of diversity in the information field is essential to better serve the increasingly diverse world where we live. While we are committed to information literacy and access, and to supporting information initiatives that promote equity in the communities that we serve and represent, our commitment to diversity goes much deeper. We believe that a fundamental and informed appreciation of diversity must permeate all aspects of the information professions such that the creation (not merely the dissemination) of knowledge is informed by a deeply reflective appreciation for the importance of diversity.

We recognize that the creation, distribution, and use of information is at the core of our daily lives. As with all valuable resources, information and the requisite resources are often not equitably distributed. More attempts need to be made within the information field to change this through:

  • Curriculum
  • Research vision
  • Increased information literacy and access
  • Student, faculty, and staff recruitment and retention
  • Partnerships with communities

The faculty of the Information School are educating future leaders of the information profession. To support the Information School's commitment to human-centered information systems that provide information to and about a diverse user population, our faculty employ pedagogical approaches that are inclusive of diverse perspectives. Graduates of the Information School should be equipped to analyze and utilize what they learn about information to lead projects that achieve equity of information access within and across diverse organizations. The School's staff support and enable faculty and students to leverage the varied resources that support the cultivation of diversity in this institution.

To support our vision, the Information School is striving together toward "educational ergonomics," a comfortable higher education learning environment that embraces diversity in all forms. We believe that an environment in the School that fosters diversity is fundamental to our mission to make a difference in the world.