Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Boston University has a proud tradition of opening its doors to all. Indeed, the University’s founding mission was built upon inclusion, regardless of gender, race, or religion. BU was the first in the nation to admit women to medical school, to graduate a Native American physician, to choose a Black woman as chief editor of its law review, and
to award a PhD to a woman.

BU Wheelock is committed not just to extending that tradition, but to making all of education more accessible, more inclusive, and more equitable for all. One key means of attaining this goal is to bring people of more diverse backgrounds into teaching, research, and leadership roles. So we’re working to broaden the path to leadership positions, faculty appointments in higher education, and policymaking roles to include gifted educators from every background.

In addition, we are reviewing our syllabi through the lens of equity and inclusion and bringing in outside speakers to engage with faculty in conversations about social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. “We’re a college of education and human development,” says Laura Jiménez, associate dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion. So we are striving to create a college where equity and inclusion are not a topic unto themselves, but essential principles that underlie everything we do. “It’s a cultural shift for the college that we’re all going to be doing these things,” Jiménez says.

Another key equity initiative is increasing financial aid for our future educators. At BU Wheelock, we see a profound need for more graduate-level support, especially for students from underrepresented or marginalized communities: financial aid for tuition, research fellowships, stipends for practicums, and other means of ensuring that no student will avoid going into education out of fear that it will lead to a lifetime of debt.

Transforming oppressive systems will be a long and complex process. But making education accessible and equitable for all is an excellent place to start.

How You Can Lead

• Endow a graduate scholarship
• Support research fellowships
• Endow an access fund for non-tuition expenses that scholarships don’t cover