More specifically, we know that diversity and inclusion are prerequisites for the fulfillment of Brown University’s institutional mission of serving the community, the nation, and the world. As our university statement on values insists, “a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and experiences” is required to successfully “advance knowledge and understanding.” Our work in ODI is therefore focused on the intentional cultivation of diversity and the concomitant feeling that all are valued and included.

A shared mission in a diverse community requires combined effort and collaboration, the drawing together of personalities and past histories in pursuit of new knowledge, common understanding, and the betterment of our world. In ODI, we believe not only in the capacity to learn from each other across divisions, but also in the necessity of conversations that break through and transcend single-mindedness and groupthink – thought-provoking and evocative conversations that deploy different ways of seeing and knowing and being as instruments of a broader education.

We believe that openness and inclusion are likewise intertwined with our academic mission. Openness means access for all, but it also requires courage and risk and resilience, keystones of our student-centered educational philosophy. Openness and inclusion, we recognize, hinge on our treatment of every member of our community “fairly and with respect and dignity” and on our receptiveness to each as a fellow learner and fellow leader. We know that all members of our community benefit from this broader education, and believing this means that we are committed to ensuring that all feel valued for their contributions and are given equal opportunities to thrive, to collaborate, and to participate in our living and learning community.