Our Mission

It is the mission of the Diversity Center and the Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services to provide leadership for positive and equitable change that creates a welcoming and supportive environment for persons historically under-served in American colleges and universities. We partner with faculty, staff and students to design activities that infuse into college life an acceptance and appreciation for difference that is morally and socially just.

We co-create a learning environment that enhances relationships with the wider community in collaboration with campus departments to offer cultural, educational and mentoring programs for students. We also partner with faculty and staff to effectively support the academic, cultural and social adjustment of students from various multicultural backgrounds.

What is Diversity?

Diversity encompasses “everything that we are and that we are not”.

Members of the Gustavus community come from diverse backgrounds in terms of experience, mental and physical capabilities, national origin, political beliefs, economic status, sexual orientation, race, gender, religious affiliation and spiritual affinity.

Our individual values, perspectives, belief systems and views of the world around us are shaped by different social constructs. The pursuit of true diversity includes the investigation and identification of the origins of these constructs and the ways that they breed social hierarchies and means through which we can understand and accept one another. For us, DIVERSITY is not just about understanding our differences; it is also about embracing and celebrating our uniqueness.