Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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he Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) was founded in 2016. Previously, the college was primarily focused on enrolling students from different backgrounds and supporting student affinity groups. Since the Office’s founding, we have increased our scope to include learning and development opportunities for faculty and staff, engaging alumni of color, searching to give voice to issues of student equity inside and outside the classroom, and encouraging data-driven decision-making in our planning and program design.

Working against forces who would seek to erase the contributions of underrepresented and marginalized communities, we collaborate with partners across the campus community to tell a fuller history of the College.

Tracking Equity

We now track equity through the use of dashboards to measure progress on our goals, execute an annual research agenda dedicated to the most critical equity goals (e.g., ensuring equal access to our open curriculum, reducing bias in search processes, providing adequate diversity training for leaders among faculty, students, and staff, providing equal opportunity for alumni to engage with the College through service and giving), and consistently communicate between and among committees who govern equity and inclusion work at the College. Our new trustee committee on equity, diversity, and inclusion offers new leadership that more intentionally centers the priorities that our work requires.

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2019-21 Wade Fellow, Nadia Biassou

The Wade Fellows Program was established in 1976 in honor of Harold Wade, Jr. ’68. While a student, Harold Wade, Jr. worked to strengthen the black community at Amherst, including organizing the Afro American Society and initiating recruitment materials aimed at attracting black high school students to Amherst. Since 1977, black alumni Wade Fellows have returned to campus to engage with current students as informal career counselors, mentors, and role models.

Wade Fellows provide a meaningful and important voice in ongoing diversity and inclusion work, the career development needs of Amherst students, and in strengthening the alumni network connection between black alumni and students.

Additional Resources

• Accessibility Needs: Jodi Foley, Director of Accessibility Strategy and Resources
• Office of Environmental Sustainability: Laura Drauker, Director of Sustainability

EEO Statement

Amherst College does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs and activities on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity), age, disability, genetic information, military service, or any other characteristic or class protected under applicable federal, state or local law. Amherst College complies with all state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.