Commitment to Diversity
Diversity
Everyone has a seat at The Chicago School’s table. We strive to provide a home to all of our community members, celebrating their lived experiences and demonstrating how those experiences can help them become effective community change-makers.
53%
62%
74%
41%
Changing the Narrative
Clinical psychology student Symone Betty Gelay is using her lived experience to help change the narrative and dispel the stigmas surrounding the deaf community.
Equity
As a leader in higher education and integrated health education, we have a responsibility to invest in systems that remove barriers between communities and the equitable support they deserve.
For instance, the Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute at The Chicago School is a mental health awareness institute focused on reducing the stigmas often associated with mental health challenges. The institute provides education, resources, and other forms of support to bring care to those who need it most.
Together, this work makes a meaningful difference by empowering individuals and communities to join us in building a healthier future for all.
Inclusion
We recognize that members of our community identify with various cultures and other diverse aspects of the human experience. A true sense of university-wide belonging occurs when our community infuses inclusion into every conversation and interaction we have.
As such, we have created The Chicago School’s Inclusive Language Guide. The Inclusive Language Guide provides support and guidance to our community members to ensure conversations and messages across the university remain grounded in empowerment for all parties. This resource also includes education on respectful terminology and language to maximize inclusion for everyone at The Chicago School.
We have also reaffirmed our commitment to respecting every individual’s pronouns and chosen name. Students are encouraged to self-identify, and we provide faculty and staff with resources to foster thoughtful partnerships with students toward inclusion and belonging.
Access
Filling classrooms with diverse students and faculty isn’t enough—we also provide support structures to encourage true educational equity, including services for new students, first-generation students, military members, international students, and more.
For example, we help first-generation students feel at home through:
- The Undergraduate First-Gen Club, which offers unique programming to first-generation students.
- Participation in the McNair Scholars Program, increasing educational access for first-generation and other groups of traditionally underrepresented students.
- First-Gen Day, where we celebrate the accomplishments of first-generation students throughout our community and explore how to increase educational equity for first-generation students in the years ahead.
Our Student Support services are available to all students throughout their time at The Chicago School.
Respected, Connected, and Valued
Alumni reflect on their educational experiences and how The Chicago School prepared them for their current success.
The Chicago School is not only prepared but also excited to play its part in weaving diversity, equity, inclusion, and access throughout our colleges, campuses, communities, and beyond.
Oath of Affirmation and Diversity
In accordance with our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, we ask all members of The Chicago School community to embrace our Oath of Affirmation and Diversity:
“I hereby affirm that I shall discharge the responsibilities of my profession in a manner consistent with respect for the dignity and worth of individuals and communities and that I shall strive for the preservation and protection of fundamental human rights; That I shall seek to increase knowledge of human behavior, cultures, and experiences to increase self-understanding and understanding of others, and that I shall use such knowledge for the promotion of dignity and human rights; That I shall seek to embrace the profession’s commitment to understand and respect individual, social, contextual, and cultural differences;
That I shall diligently protect the human rights of those who seek my services, and that I shall use my skills only in the furtherance of human rights and the integrity of the individual; That I shall strive to acknowledge and remove systemic barriers that prevent the ability of groups, individuals, and organizations to access services that promote the well-being of all; And that I shall well and truly recognize the traditions, ethics, and boundaries of my profession, and that I shall subscribe to these traditions and ethics freely and upon my honor. As a representative of The Chicago School Community, I hereby affirm to actively participate in this learning and professional community by embracing its commitment to understand and respect individual, social, contextual, and cultural differences. As such, I will seek to gain knowledge of human difference that I may increase my understanding of self and others, and I will seek to build an environment of mutual respect and inclusion where all are valued.”
First Generation Mentoring Program
