Campus News

Liberal Arts College Will Certify Students In ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’

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A private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania launched a graduate program offering a certification in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to the school’s announcement on Thursday.

Muhlenberg College’s School of Graduate Studies launched the certificate program to be available for the 2023/2024 academic year, its website reads. It claims that the program will “develop leaders who ensure diverse, equitable and inclusive values become fundamentally woven into an organizational culture to foster a just and equitable environment for all.”

The program will take one year to complete and will include a mix of online and on-campus learning, using case studies and scenarios to train students on implementing DEI standards in the workplace and their community.

“We developed this program to combine theory and practice throughout each course, and it allows students to develop a network of equity-minded professionals where people can come together to have brave conversations, engage meaningfully, empower one another and strategize to act,” said AJ Lemheney, vice president and executive director of Muhlenberg’s Division of Graduate and Continuing Education.

The Muhlenberg College School of Graduate Studies is launching a graduate certificate in diversity, equity & inclusion. This program helps leaders develop the skills to ensure diverse, equitable & inclusive values are woven into their organization. https://t.co/3VyXHstIcE pic.twitter.com/LtPKMc0p8F

— Muhlenberg College (@Muhlenberg) December 15, 2022

S. Brooke Vick, chief diversity officer and associate provost for equity and inclusion as well as the graduate program coordinator for the certificate. She said that the program is important “for the College to be able to play a role in fostering an environment for future leaders to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of their work,” according to the Muhlenberg website.

The school’s 2020-2021 DEI report indicated that the school provides multiple DEI trainings for faculty members and student leaders, and that faculty reviewed curriculum “through an antiracist lens.”

The college also claimed to have funded affinity groups to increase diversity on campus and hired counselors experienced in working with “underrepresented” communities to build “safe spaces on campus.”

Muhlenberg College, the School of Graduate Studies, Lemheney and Vick did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundations request for comment.