Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

In building a public policy school for the 21st century, the McCourt School recognizes the centrality of having diverse perspectives, life experiences, and traditions to our mission. Public policy makers must actively embrace diversity in all of its manifestations to be effective. The McCourt School is committed to maintaining a community of students, faculty, and staff that are themselves diverse and that actively embrace the diversity of others.

The McCourt School values and supports diversity along, but not limited to, the dimensions of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, socio-economic background, and political belief. We strive to enroll a diverse student body and employ a diverse faculty and staff, rooted in the knowledge that diversity strengthens our mission and our ability to prepare our students to change the world.

We strongly support and embrace the efforts of Georgetown University’s leadership to promote and foster diversity. The campus provides resources and support to a wide variety of efforts, including the Provost’s Committee for Diversity, to address issues facing students of color at Georgetown. These and our efforts are supplemented by the Georgetown University Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action and other resources available to all Georgetown students, faculty, and staff.

At McCourt, we have an engaged set of student organizations reflecting the diversity and inclusiveness of our community. Our leadership and faculty regularly review our curriculum and class offerings, in an effort to provide our students with rigorous and well-rounded training. We are committed to hiring diverse faculty, including a new tenure-line position focusing on the intersection of race and policy. Our Institute of Politics and Public Service is dedicated to making sure a diversity of viewpoints and voices are represented and that we promote civil discourse in programming and dialogue.

Our faculty and staff are proud to support and work with the McCourt Student Association, which makes recommendations to McCourt leadership on how the School can ensure a more diverse and inclusive environment for all in the McCourt School community. Those recommendations and responses include:

• Draft and publish a Diversity and Inclusion Statement
• Facilitate diversity and inclusion training for students, staff, and faculty
• Oversee intentional recruitment efforts to increase the diversity of the student population
• Support alumni efforts to create a diversity scholarship fund
• Develop and offer more courses on the intersection of diversity and public policy
• Ensure accommodations for students with disabilities, in conjunction with the Academic Resource Center
• Improve resources for students who speak English as a second language and/or those who need additional support, including improving access and visibility of our Writing Center

Diversity and inclusion is an ongoing effort at the McCourt School, and we continue to explore how we can better support all members of our community.