Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

“Your gifts contribute to cultivating a campus community where belonging and inclusive excellence are not mere values, but practiced, sustained, and shared every day.” – Dr. Kha Yang, Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence

About

The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) leads institutional strategy and campus-wide partnerships to develop and sustain initiatives that foster belonging and inclusive excellence for students, faculty, and staff. We are committed to cultivating a campus community where all who live, learn, and work at St. Thomas can flourish and reach their highest potential.

Inclusive Excellence Statement

Our commitment to inclusive excellence is rooted in our mission and convictions as a Catholic university, which guide us in advancing human dignity and diversity. We consider inclusive excellence indispensable to our institutional and academic achievement and to the holistic development and advancement of every student, faculty, and staff member. We value the vast array of individuals and group characteristics, including social, physical, and psychological differences. All provide a university experience rich in perspectives, fostering an environment grounded in mutual learning, flourishing, and belonging.

The Why of Our Work

Join us to engage, encounter, and foster connection and belonging. Guided by the Culture of Encounter and the Ministry of Accompaniment, we are called to be present, listen deeply, and build meaningful relationships across similarities and differences. Our work is grounded in our shared humanity and seeks to create spaces where every person can feel seen, heard, loved, and supported.

In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General's report declared loneliness and isolation a public health epidemic, with Gen. Z (ages 18–27) ranking among the loneliest. A 2024 Minds of Minnesotans study also found that nearly half of Minnesotans feel lonely at least some of the time. These numbers reflect more than statistics. They point to the societal culture that affects our campus community and broader society.

Join us in cultivating a campus community where all can feel seen, heard, loved, and supported to flourish.

Support Three Key Areas of Need:

1. What? The CONNECT Initiative equips students, faculty, and staff with a wide range of intercultural and conflict-resolution skills to engage across differences with empathy, compassion, and confidence.

So what? Approximately 800 students, faculty, and staff have completed the Intercultural Development Inventory assessment and participated in intercultural learning workshops. Among a cohort of 40 St. Thomas students who completed the assessment and participated in intercultural learning discussions and workshops, results indicate positive developmental movement from 2024 to 2025. Polarization decreased from 32.6% to 23.68%, while Acceptance increased from 0.0% to 5.26%. The percentage of students in Minimization also increased from 58.7% to 63.16%, suggesting that students are moving away from more polarized orientations and toward greater openness, reflection, and connection across cultural differences.

Now what? Your contribution grows intercultural learning and engagement across the campus community. It invests in empathy, compassion, and meaningful cross-cultural connections across disciplines and units!

2. What? Community Healing Circles & the 6-Word Memoir Project foster facilitated spaces for reflection, healing, and shared understanding. These programs inspire authentic storytelling and amplify reflections on finding purpose, identity, and character formation to advance the common good.

So what? The ODEI offers monthly community spaces and, upon request, additional healing circles within teams and units to cultivate relationships and explore conflict resolution and restorative practices. These programs create transformative opportunities for purposeful reflection and character formation. In FY25–26, ODEI led 23 campus-wide workshops and healing sessions. Participants described these experiences as “connecting,” “reflective,” and “transformative,” demonstrating that the programs widened perspectives and strengthened belonging and cross-cultural empathy across the campus community.

Now what? Your contribution grows trained Circle Keepers among students, faculty, and staff to hold safe and brave spaces so our campus community can better encounter, engage, and enact shared understanding and possibilities for a more inclusive campus community. It equips students, faculty, and staff with tools for reflective dialogue, relationship building, and constructive engagement across diverse perspectives.

3. What? Capacity Building, Community Convenings, and Recognition sustain belonging and inclusive excellence initiatives through peer mentoring, professional development, community convenings, sponsorships, partnerships, and honoring the contributions of those who make belonging possible every day.

So what? ODEI advances sustainable capacity building by sponsoring nine employee resource groups open to all employees and by funding cross-campus proposals from student organizations, schools, and business units. Employee groups include: the AAPI ERG, Black Faculty & Staff Alliance, Enlace, Digital Accessibility Ambassador Learning Network, LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff Association, St. Thomas Administrative Professionals, St. Thomas Neurodiversity Alliance, Tommies Across Generations, and Tommie Caregivers. ODEI continually seeks funding to better support each employee group and to increase collaborative programming across schools, divisions, and departments.

Now what? Your contribution supports leadership development for students, faculty, and staff and expands institutional capacity to sustain inclusive excellence across the entire university. It empowers community members to champion belonging, build shared understanding and responsibility, and celebrate individual and collective agency to drive transformative change toward a more inclusive campus community.

Here is what our campus community is saying about these programs:

Students have said:

• “The experience in the circle was great. I had lots of great conversations.”
• “It was so healing and wonderful to meet new people.”
• “It felt rewarding to hear other people’s stories. And it was nice to share mine.”
• “From this workshop, my plan is to show up when it matters. I sure hope to do better and to ensure that everyone who crosses my path is treated well.”
• “This workshop helped me to step back and consider actual ways we could change norms and values into ones that recognize yet normalize diversity."
• “[This session taught me to] Take each day as a learning experience, as far as learning about diversity and making sure that we all strive together.”
• “[I enjoyed] being able to speak without judgment, and practice listening.”
• “[I enjoyed participating] to be heard without interruptions, to provide the same to another, to care for each other in this special way.”

Faculty and staff have said:

• “I have become more aware that there could be other valid viewpoints to an issue than the one I have.”
• “We continued the conversations after the [community] circle.”
• "[I’ve learned] how much more comfortable I am about having difficult conversations.”
• “I loved the community-building feel and the chance to learn more about my colleagues.”
• “It has really opened me up to people and to talk about these important topics/issues, even if it’s not comfortable.”
• “It was healing for me to share my story and hear other people’s stories.”
• “[I learned] the fact that people from different cultures all share similar experiences.”
• “I listen differently [now].”
• I really enjoyed hearing the stories from co-workers. It is helpful to get to know them and what is important to them.”

Your Support Sustains Reach and Impact!

Your contribution helps us:

• Advance a campus community where all students, faculty, and staff can feel seen, heard, loved, and supported to flourish.
• Grow the number of certifications for Circle Keepers and Qualified Administrators of intercultural learning who can guide meaningful conversations across campus in bridging differences in an era of heightened polarization, loneliness, and isolation.
• Equip students, faculty, and staff with intercultural learning and conflict-resolution tools essential for an ever-evolving landscape.
• Create safe and brave spaces for reflection, healing, storytelling, and restorative dialogue toward shared accountability across disciplines and units.
• Support employee groups that foster belonging, leadership, and community-building.
• Support interdisciplinary collaborations with student-, school-, and division-led initiatives that advance inclusive excellence.
• Honor the everyday leaders who make belonging possible.

Together, we can continue building a university rooted in dignity, respect, belonging, and flourishing for all.

Thank you for your generosity!