The Center For Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity is recognizing that the institution is made up of a mixture of people who’ve had varying experiences. Equity is the awareness of diversity and creating opportunities for people to have equal access and participation in opportunities. Inclusion is intentional sustained equitable actions by the institution, to create a culture that reflects its diverse community.

Mars Hill University is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Dimensions of diversity can include race, age, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, intellectual and physical ability, sexual orientation, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, military experience, cognitive style, and communication style. The individual intersection of these experiences and characteristics must be valued in our community.

MHU shows this commitment by respecting and valuing these differences. All students enrolled at MHU are expected to do the same by being considerate of others and strive to form a collaborative and supportive educational environment that treats every person with dignity and respect. We are working to create an environment that fosters inclusion, where students have the opportunity to bring their various identities into conversations, they find helpful but they are not expected to represent or speak for an entire group of people who share aspects of an identity.

Mission

The mission of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office is to create a culturally enhanced campus environment through inclusive education, advocacy, social justice, diversity, and leadership opportunities. It is our goal to provide and promote diverse events such as lectures, concerts, cultural awareness programs, films, and workshops that will assist our students in an understanding of world views that influence their work and relationships.

Students interested in learning more about cultural differences and/or programming are encouraged to contact the Director.

Resources

As we see and experience the events taking place across the United States many of us want to have conversations about race but because such conversations are difficult we are reluctant to do so. The National Museum of African American History and Culture has gathered useful resources to help each of us travel down the path of this important journey.

Learn More

Racism. What is it? Why does it remain part of our society? What can we do to end it? This site created by the Smithsonian magazine provides 158 resources designed to help answer these questions. They also provide ways to develop pathways for sustained solutions.

Learn More

Respect MHU

Mars Hill University is committed to fostering a safe and welcoming experience for all members of and visitors to the MHU campus community. The work of creating and maintaining an inclusive environment requires the efforts of the entire university, and we recognize that each member of the community holds some responsibility to foster an environment in which its members can thrive without fear of hate or bias. The creation of Respect MHU allows for the community to work together to report and address incidents of bias and hate on campus, thereby enhancing and contributing to the authentic pursuit of knowledge and truth that lies at the heart of our institutional identity and purpose.

Respect MHU-Bias Incident Reporting Team

MHU Community Initiatives

In addition to working with our students, The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion collaborates with the administration and the university to develop strategic goals for inclusive education across the MHU campus. This includes faculty and staff focus groups, student focus groups, campus climate surveys, professional development, advocacy and support, inclusive curriculum, and a commitment to diversity.

Programming

The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion sponsors numerous cultural programs each year, including:

• MLK Jr. Commemorative Programs
• Diversity Lecture Series
• Unity Candlelight Vigil
• Diversity Seminar and Workshops
• Other events are planned to recognize nationally observed months, such as Black History Month, Native American History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian Pacific History Month, and Hispanic History Month.