Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Utica University is proud of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, providing a unique opportunity for students to learn and grow in an environment welcoming to a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Through a diverse college community, students can feel free to express themselves and their thoughts while gaining valuable exposure to different perspectives and ideas in positive ways.

Utica Stance Statement Utica Mission and Values

The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Utica University’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Student Transitions works to create an equitable and inclusive Utica University community by engaging in long-term, ongoing antiracism and anti-discrimination work. Acknowledging that our lived experiences are shaped by multiple intersectional identities and traditions, the DEI&ST staff create safe spaces for community-building events and brave spaces for robust dialogue across experiences and identities. Overseeing the Jeremy C. Thurston Center for Career Readines s, the Division empowers students to make informed career decisions and successfully transition from Utica University to their next professional steps, including employment, graduate school, service roles, and more.

Our community of students, faculty, and staff reflect a diversity of experiences, opinions, and cultural backgrounds shaped by biology, society, history, and choice. Our community includes members who are diverse by virtue of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religious and/or spiritual affiliations, and socio-economic status, as well as the number of other ways in which who we are influences how we see the world. This diversity deepens our commitment to nurture a multicultural environment in which we engage with others and blend perspectives, to learn about diverse cultures, to explore who we are and where we come from and to accept one another without prejudice.

DEI Operational Plan 2021-2025

Learn more:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Member Groups and Options for Participation

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Collaborative
(18+ action/task groups to join!)
The DE&I Collaborative is a collective of eighteen action groups and task forces that participate in ongoing antiracist and anti-discriminatory work. These groups create safe spaces and brave spaces for open dialogue.

Attendance at or participation in DE&I events
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Student Transitions division will plan events in conjunction with faculty, staff, administration, and student clubs and organizations to promote cultural sensitivity and awareness, engage in antiracist and anti-discriminatory work, and create an equitable, just campus environment.

Strategic Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (SACDEI)
SACDEI works with faculty, staff, and students to commit resources, create programming, effectively communicate across campus networks, and recommend revisions to policies, procedures, and curricula.

Attendance at a Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA) eConvening Session
Utica University is a member of the University of Southern California’s (USC) Race and Equity Center’s prestigious Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA). LACRELA’s eConvening Series occurs monthly, but spaces are limited.

Interested in Getting Involved?

Please contact us at diversity@utica.edu or 315-792-3101

Utica University's Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, along with the DEI Collaborative and numerous student groups, offer the community numerous opportunities to engage, to discuss, and connect on important issues.

DEI Events

Race / Ethnicity of All Students

Race/Ethnicity	Total Student Population
Ethnicity: Hispanic / Latino	311 (8.05%)
Citizenship: Non-Resident Alien	26 (0.67%)
Race:
Black	411 (10.64%)
White	2,462 (63.77%)
American Indian or Alaskan Native	27 (.70%)
Asian	191 (4.95%)
Pacific Islander	6 (0.16%)
Multiple Races	76 (1.97%)
Unknown	351 (9.09%)
Total	3,861
Total Multicultural	1,022 (26.47%)

*Undergrad + Grad, all locations including online and non-matriculated

Race/Ethnicity of Faculty & Staff

Race/Ethnicity	Total Population
Ethnicity: Hispanic / Latino	3 (1.01%)
Citizenship: Non-Resident Alien	6 (2.02%)
Race:
Black	11 (3.70%)
White	261 (87.88%)
American Indian or Alaskan Native	0 (0.00%)
Asian	12 (4.04%)
Pacific Islander	0 (0.00%)
Multiple Races	4 (1.35%)
Unknown	0 (0.00%)
Total	297
Total Multicultural	30 (10.10%)

*Faculty and staff

The Bias Response and Referral Network (BRRN) has been established as part of Utica University’s commitment to fostering an inclusive campus climate and supporting members of our community when bias-related incidents or hate crimes occur.

When a bias-related incident or potential hate crime is reported, the BRRN coordinates responses to individuals and/or communities who have been affected by bias-related behaviors and potential hate crimes. The BRRN will be responsible for receiving reports of bias-related incidents, reaching out to the person filing the report and others as needed and formulating an appropriate response to impacted parties. If necessary, the BRRN will also refer make a referral to the appropriate investigatory person, team, or office. The BRRN provides support resources to impacted parties, promotes education and dialogue, and affirms the University’s commitment to equity and diversity, free speech, and academic freedom.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BIAS INCIDENT REPORTING

Contact Us

Anthony Baird

Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Student Transitions

(315) 792-3310

ambaird@utica.edu

Readings on Race and the Black Experience in the United States

Curated items from the Utica University Library's collection about race and the Black experience in the United States. Though not an exhaustive resource, this collection serves as an introduction to these issues.

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BSU 50th Anniversary_0241 - Past and Present Members

Pride and Power

The Black Student Union Celebrates 50 Years at Utica University.

A Meaningful Mile

An annual tradition, hundreds of members the Utica University community come together each year for the Unity Walk, a celebration of diversity and community on campus. Through this event, we acknowledge in a very public way our belief that diverse experiences and points of view help create a vibrant educational community and that there is power in coming together in a spirit of unity.

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Voice of Change - Ronald Spratling 71, Janice Miles 74, Oliver Perry 74

Voices for Change

As part of Utica’s two-weeklong celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in January 2017, Ronald Spratling ’71, Janice Miles ’74, and Oliver Perry ’74, returned to campus—some for the first time since graduation—to reflect on one of the most pivotal eras in Utica history.