Diversity Profile
We Are One Mizzou
The University of Missouri (MU, or Mizzou) has made great strides in increasing the diversity of our campus community and nurturing an inclusive campus climate for faculty, students and staff. The broad range of life experiences, values, cultural practices and perspectives in our community establishes an institutional foundation for innovative learning and discovery. It further expands the university’s ability to become a globally-recognized epicenter for education, research and entrepreneurship.
As a comprehensive research university, it is essential for our scholarship to reflect our commitment to diversity. Faculty all across campus are actively engaged in research that contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of human experiences, and integrates academic research with the world of policy and action. Researchers are tackling such issues as: Black women’s working-class activism and the politics of urban decline; lottery funded scholarships and their effect on access and retention of minority students; designing adaptive clothing for individuals with disabilities to decrease stigma; and creating technology to enhance aging in place. Diversity research is enriched by the work of faculty in the Black Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies departments, as well as research centers such as the Cambio Center, Center on Religions and the Professions, the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, the Afro-Romance Institute for Languages and Literatures of the African Diaspora, and the Vietnam Institute, among others. Diversity in Action, a program of the Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative (CDI), showcases new diversity research in a monthly seminar format.
We believe that our curriculum must offer courses that will prepare all of our students for the increasingly multicultural 21st century. Our schools and colleges are committed to infusing discipline-relevant diversity into the curriculum. This has resulted in such groundbreaking efforts as the Trulaske College of Business’ Global Mindset and Multicultural Learning Map and the College of Education’s Personal Transformational Pathways. And our students actively seek out a diversity curriculum: an estimated 8000 undergrads are currently signed up for MU’s Multicultural Certificate program which gives credit for a multitude of courses, including, for example: Global Animal Agriculture, Blogging the World: the Web in Cultural Context, African Diaspora Folklore, and Theory and Practice of Theatre of the Oppressed. The MU International Center offers more than 300 study abroad programs; and a record 1,371 student studied abroad in 2012, making the University one of only 66 campuses in the country to send more than 1,000 students abroad annually.
Diversity extends to our student body and to the many co-curricular opportunities we offer. The Disability Center, Multicultural Center, Black Culture Center, Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center, and Veterans Center provide support and leadership development for the growing number of demographically diverse students and allies we enroll. Student organizations run the gamut from professional organizations (National Association of Black Accountants, National Association of Hispanic Journalists), to affiliation groups (Triangle Coalition, Legion of Black Collegians, Muslim Student Organization) to service organizations (Peer-to-Peer, Enhanced Leaders Inspiring Through Excellence). These student organizations greatly expand our diversity programming and events on campus.
At MU, inclusion and equity are more than a matter of compliance. The University of Missouri is dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment in which no individual is discriminated against based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran. But that’s our floor, not our ceiling. We want all members of our community to feel welcome at Mizzou and to understand their responsibility for making our institution a welcoming place for others.
We are pleased with our progress in improving the ability of members of our community to function successfully in a multicultural climate given that often people are not prepared to deal with others whom they perceive as different from themselves. CDI offers such innovative programming as Diversity 101, a four-week interactive web-based class; Workplace Diversity, a monthly brown-bag skill-building workshop; and superb online professional development modules on conflict resolution and respectful workplaces. We reach into the classroom to improve instructors’ cultural competency through our Difficult Dialogue fellows, Guide to Religions (with dates for necessary classroom accommodation), universal design and teaching tips for an inclusive classroom.
There’s much more we could tell you about MU and our approach to community-building. But why don’t you check it out for yourself? Our website, diversity.missouri.edu, is filled with information that will give you a better sense of who we are and what we are trying to achieve. Discover the resources for various communities at MU including African-Americans, LGBTQ folks, and Hispanic/Latino(a)s, to name but a few. Note that MU has a strong disability community and several programs and services specific to disability including the Adaptive Computing Technology Center and the Great Plains ADA Technical Assistance Center (as well as a nationally recognized wheelchair basketball program). Review our numbers, look at our diversity offices and programs, and view our Tips for Talking about Race. And if you still want more information, feel free to contact the Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative where we will happily ensure that your questions get answered.
CONTACT US
Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative
S303 Memorial Union
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: (573) 882-5838
Fax: (573) 884-4103
Fax: (573) 882-9907