Diversity Profile

The Daemen College commitment to diversity is a natural outgrowth of the college’s historic belief expressed in our mission statement “that education should elevate human dignity and foster civic responsibility and compassion. “ Our emphasis on service finds our students engaged in a wide variety of service-learning opportunities, including increasing engagement with the Buffalo region’s large refugee community through our Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement.  Believing that student development of a global perspective is essential, we are strongly emphasizing student participation in study abroad, strategically growing our international student population, and continually developing partnerships with universities in other countries, including China, Botswana, Brazil, Poland, and Finland, among others.

We strive to be a welcoming and inclusive learning environment for all people. Over 20% of our students are members of minority groups, as are approximately 10% of our faculty and staff. We are formally recognized as a Military Friendly School, with a dedicated Center for Veterans and Veteran Family Services.  Daemen College is known for the quality of its service to students with disabilities, including students with learning disabilities and students on the autism spectrum.  All College programs and services are available without regard to sexual orientation, including employee benefits for domestic partners; in addition, New York is a marriage-equality state.

Daemen College recognizes both the privilege of its bountifully diverse setting and its  responsibility to maintain and cultivate appreciation of diversity on the part of its students and all members of the campus community. Guided by our Diversity Vision Statement, the College’s Diversity Plan articulates four main goals:

I.          Diversity in the Curriculum

            To enhance and enrich learning, the Daemen College curriculum and its manner of delivery, both within the Core Curriculum and within all degree programs, will fulfill the College’s stated mission to prepare graduates who are comfortable with diversity, who recognize the importance of a global perspective, and who respect the human dignity of all people.

II.         Student Development

            The College will increase its enrollment of students underrepresented at Daemen relative to the average student demographic at peer institutions and the College willl increase the persistence to graduation of students of diverse backgrounds, thereby increasing experiences of cultural diversity, related learning, and personal development for all Daemen College students.

III.       Faculty, Staff, and Board Development

            The College will recruit and retain a diverse faculty, administrative staff, and board and will encourage all employees and trustees to contribute to and support the cultural fluency and diversity of the campus.

IV.       Campus Climate and Environment 

            The College will promote and sustain an environment of dignity and access for all people, with particular attention to potentially marginalized groups, and will conduct regular, purposeful, and holistic assessments to ensure that campus resources are strategically deployed to reflect the College’s commitment to diversity.

The full text of the Diversity Plan may be found on the Daemen College website at http://www.daemen.edu/about/policies/Pages/DiversityPlan.aspx