Skip to main content

Diversity

Our commitment is to build a culture where difference is valued, together. We strive to create a diverse workplace that values, supports, empowers, and augments the voices and abilities of our employees—where everyone, from any background, can be themselves and do their best.

Learn more about our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Programs

Since completing the DEI Council Charter, the Council has focused on developing a roadmap of efforts to be implemented over its first three years. The council has organized its proposed efforts into three scales of influence: Individual, Organization, and Community. Within each scale, a number of efforts have been proposed, and working groups have been formed to begin implementation of a selection of key efforts beginning in Fiscal Year 2021. Efforts underway are highlighted in bold italics.

Initiatives

For Individuals: Hiring

  • Increase qualified diverse candidate pool and hiring of under-represented staff
  • Relaunch the trade skills program

For Individuals: Staff Cultural Competency

  • Establish foundational training for Culture & Values
  • Establish Culture & Values programs

For Individuals: Retention & Career Advancement

  • Establish Facilities mentorship/buddy program
  • Create skills and leadership development program

For Organizations: Education

  • Develop Heritage Month Content
  • Integrate compliance, unconscious bias, anti-racism, and privilege training
  • Integrate inclusive teams, bystander, ally, and fairness training
  • Integrate University history training
  • Establish learning discussion dialogue series

For Organizations: Improvement and Communication

  • Develop a DEI webpage
  • Develop a feedback mechanism
  • Increase awareness of University DEI resources
  • Conduct an organizational assessment
  • Build a program effectiveness evaluation
  • Conduct data collection and retention assessment

For Organizations: Relationships

  • Establish informal "it's just coffee" gatherings
  • Create networking calendar of events
  • Investigate dedicated physical space for Facilities staff
  • Establish peer institution DEI best practice sharing

For the Community: University

  • Establish mentor program for diverse students in Facilities-related fields
  • Partner with other units to coordinate DEI efforts
  • Hire summer interns
  • Establish working group to address facilities/space and DEI principles (memorials, space naming)
  • Integrate DEI considerations into common space planning

For the Community: Vendors and Contractors

  • Establish vendor/contractor partnerships for procurement initiatives
  • Join DEI local and national councils
  • Identify and support local small businesses
  • Add DEI into preferred/pre-qualified vendor processes, RFP, and contracts

For the Community: Neighborhood

Resources

Northwestern is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus for all community members, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. These sources from across the University support this effort.

University Resources

Departments and Units

Academic Resources

Student Organizations

Additional information on these and other student organizations can be found on the Wildcat Connection.

  • APAC (Asian Pacific American Coalition)
  • NSBE (NU Chapter of National Society of Black Engineers)
  • FMO (For Members Only – Black Student Alliance)
  • ALIANZA (Latinx Student Alliance)
  • NAISA (Native American Indigenous Student Alliance)
  • CINAS (Grad School Version of NAISA)

Community Organizations

Northwestern's host communities, Evanston and Chicago, have many DEI resources. Below are a few, and we encourage you to explore similar opportunities in your own community.

Policies

Additional Resources

Reporting Incidents of Sexual Misconduct and/or Gender Discrimination

Issues of sexual misconduct and/or gender discrimination, faculty members and administrators are mandated reporters and may need to share incidents with the Office of Equity and Title IX Administration. Find guidance for receiving confidential support for issues of sexual misconduct and/or gender discrimination on the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance website.

Reporting Bias or Hate Incidents

Find information on reporting issues of bias or hate incidents that you observe on campus via Respect NU and the Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) and learn how to submit and incident report online, by phone, or in-person on the Office of Student Affairs website.

Reporting Discrimination or Harassment

Find information on reporting issues of discrimination and harassment on Northwestern's Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance or access their reporting system.