About
Mission
To create a more equitable and inclusive society, we produce, catalyze, and elevate diversity research and scholarship. In this pursuit, we also build intergenerational communities of scholars and leaders to integrate these evidence-based approaches in addressing contemporary issues in a diverse society.
History
The NCID emerged during a crucial period when the University of Michigan (U-M) faced significant challenges in its efforts to promote diversity among its student body. In 2003, U-M's affirmative action admissions policies faced legal scrutiny in the landmark cases of Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger.
While the Supreme Court upheld U-M's affirmative action admissions as constitutional and non-discriminatory, it became clear that our commitment to diversity needed to extend beyond our campus. In order to protect and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, the NCID was founded to mobilize resources and collaborate with institutions nationwide.
Since opening our doors in 2005, the NCID has been a hub for local and national efforts to diversify higher education and society. We have formed strategic networks and relationships, created and supported initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provided essential support for diverse faculty, staff, and students. Each of our directors has contributed their unique perspective, laying a foundation for the NCID to make a lasting impact on scholarship and practice in higher education.
Despite our rich history, we believe that our work has only just begun. The challenges that lie ahead are significant, but the successes we have witnessed inspire us to continue working to diversify higher education and society. We are excited to be a national leader in this endeavor, and we invite you to join us on this journey towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all.
Values
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion are necessary for excellence.
- We believe in the value of scholarly rigor, while acknowledging there are multiple criteria by which to judge this concept.
- We seek to design programs and approaches that are models for others through the pursuit of best practices and scholarly/research queries, while building on the existing literature.
- We value and support cutting-edge and innovative diversity research and scholarship in the application to social issues.
- We value formal and informal internal and external collaborations, with the understanding that diverse perspectives enhance the quality of our work, and with the expectation that our foundation is a catalyst for future programs, projects, and initiatives.
- We strive for equity by seeking to create spaces where all have an equal seat at the table.
- We have compassion in that we treat each situation with kindness and compassion by recognizing that no one is perfect, just that we should all try our best.
- We believe in inclusion, so we ensure that all with whom we work not only feel included but are included.
- We seek to be humble in our pursuit of practices and research queries around issues of social justice, and understand that we do not have all the answers, but we know how to work together to get the answers.
- We self-reflect and recognize our own power, privilege, and positionality as we approach our work and partnerships.
- We understand that people operate under different frames and perspectives and have different motivations.
- We promote continuous learning for our students, staff, postdocs, and affiliated faculty.
- We acknowledge, promote, and build on the work and scholarship of those that have gone before us.
- We recognize that people come into contact with us at different stages in their education and world understanding.
- We act as mentors to students, encouraging them to enrich the lives of others and to develop and we empower them as future leaders and critical thinkers.
- We seek to demonstrate and build upon cutting edge rigorous research, supported by scholars from around the country.
- We explicitly name social issues and challenges, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to do so. We don’t mask the importance of an issue that impacts any of our communities in order to help others avoid guilt or feel better about it.
- We give weight and value to the experienced history of discrimination in an effort to learn from past actions, including mistakes.
- We conduct our work with the highest of ethical standards.
- In scholarship and practice, we always seek to view individuals in their full humanity.
- We support others who have the courage to speak their truths in all environments, and we use our positionality to affect positive outcomes of that courage.
- We provide space, opportunity, and support for people to be courageous in numerous ways.
- We encourage others to see that more "invisible" forms of activism (scholarly pursuits) are acts of courage.
- We recognize the courage to develop innovative and critical theories, scholarship, programs, and practices, and networks that counter prevailing frameworks, narratives, and practices.
- We believe in sharing research and best practices widely, ensuring equitable access and empowering others to implement evidence-based approaches.