Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Charter

Jackson School Land Acknowledgement

The Jackson School acknowledges that we are on Coast Salish territory, the traditional homelands of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Tulalip, Muckleshoot, and other Indigenous peoples. The Jackson School understands that the international community includes sovereign American Indian tribes, First Nations, and Indigenous peoples across the world.

Jackson School Diversity and Equity Statement

The Jackson School is committed to the goals of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that diversity and equity are a source of strength, creativity and innovation and thus central to academic excellence – in teaching, research, administration, scholarship, and service. We seek to build an inclusive community by addressing differences of gender, socio-economic class, race, religion, disability, and sexuality. We understand that identities and lived experience are complex and that individuals and social groups are shaped by historically produced, intersecting inequalities. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive community for every individual including those who have been marginalized, such as women, the poor, rural and working classes, people of color, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities (seen and unseen), religious minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual people. Further we strive to eliminate individual acts of discrimination as well as dismantle systematic barriers and injustices that may be encoded in our institution’s and society’s policies, practices, traditions, and procedures.

As a School of International Studies, we bring a distinctive intellectual lens to questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We model socially inclusive approaches to addressing practical problems in the world today through applied research opportunities that connect students to grassroots communities, policy communities, and transnational actors. We train students to work inclusively and to understand the significance of linguistic, religious, and cultural literacy. Our work de-centers U.S-centric conceptions of the world and confronts the historical legacies of colonialism as well as inequalities within and between nation-states.  Our vision of public engagement has a strong emphasis on equity, justice, human rights, and respect for the histories and knowledge of diverse peoples and places across national borders.

While we build on these strengths, we also understand that we have work to do. We understand that the School must make progress in addressing racial inequality and discrimination and the complex intersections between race and other inequalities and identities. In particular, we must make institutional progress with regard to under-represented minorities within the United States even as we develop global understandings of race and ethnicity. The Jackson School’s commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion is rooted in an understanding that institutions play a central role in both producing and potentially changing inequality and discrimination. We understand that such progress requires that we address our own institutional practices, cultures, and norms and that this is an ongoing work that takes time and continued commitment of our community.

To that end we give our diversity, equity, and inclusion committee the charge of generating opportunities and resources for a more diverse, equitable, and culturally inclusive learning community. In particular we note that research has shown that students report less discrimination and bias at institutions where they perceive a stronger institutional commitment to diversity and that addressing the dynamics surrounding an institution as well as among actors in an institution is critical to improving climate and racial inclusivity.

Role and Responsibilities

The role of the Henry M. Jackson School Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is to serve as a resource for all people – students, faculty and staff – and to advise the Director on ways to promote an inclusive and equitable School climate. The committee gathers data that can be used to develop initiatives; researches best practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; and recommends action items to the Director.  The committee works on implementing specific action items that have been approved by the Director and that are in accordance with the School’s by-laws. The committee maintains an informational website that provides resources for students, staff, and faculty.  The committee works in accordance with the University’s blue print on diversity (available here: https://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/) and may collaborate with relevant groups that share these goals and that seek to promote an inclusive environment.

Charge on Racial Diversity

• Support the recruitment and retention of a diverse student body with a specific focus on increasing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) student enrollment and graduation.
• Create and facilitate programming to increase the cultural fluency of leadership, faculty, staff, and students.
• Develop syllabi, pedagogical resources, and training materials to further racial inclusivity in teaching, advising, and scholarship.
• Design public programming that can facilitate student involvement in JSIS.
• Collaborate with JSIS student organizations to provide spaces and venues that address race, racism, and the intersection of race/racism with other identities and inequalities.
• Work to support the Director’s mission of promoting racial diversity, equity, and an inclusive climate in the ranks of the JSIS faculty and staff.

Meetings

The committee meets monthly and quarterly with the JSIS Director, or as needed

The Committee will provide updates to faculty and staff as needed.

One staff committee member will serve ex officio on the JSIS Staff Council.

One faculty committee member will serve ex officio on the JSIS Faculty Council

Membership

Membership will include two faculty members, two staff members, two students (one graduate PhD or MA student and one undergraduate student). The committee may request the Director to appoint an additional member if they determine there is a gap in the expertise or representativeness of the committee. All members will hold staggered 2-year terms with the option to renew their membership. Members and the chair of the committee will be appointed by the Director. The Director will solicit nominations from existing members of the committee as well as from the faculty and staff councils.