Anna Maria College is committed to fostering an inclusive community where all people, regardless of their backgrounds, will be free to achieve their full potential. Our commitment comes from our Catholic identity and Sisters of Saint Anne mission. Informed by the Gospel and framed by Catholic Social Teaching, we strive to create an environment where every individual’s human dignity is valued within our community of scholars and learners. Our inclusive community efforts are grounded in cultural competency, social justice and inter-group dialogue frameworks. We acknowledge the natural tensions that may arise in conversations about race, gender and other topics, yet it is the nature of higher education to have the space and opportunity to engage in such conversations with honesty and civility. It is in these conversations that learning occurs and part of our educational mission is accomplished. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, led by the Chief Diversity Officer/Special Assistant to the President, empowers our community members to engage in these meaningful and constructive conversations as we advance our inclusive community.
Officer & Special Assistant to the President
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On this page we have posted the mission and vision statements for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We have also included a statement on how we understand diversity. These statements articulate our community goals and how we will try to achieve them.
If you are interested in learning more about our diversity efforts, please contact our Chief Diversity Officer/Special Assistant to the President Oscar J. Mayorga at omayorga@annamaria.edu.
Mission Statement
We seek to foster an inclusive and engaged living and learning community by developing our cultural competency and enacting our commitment to social justice in the service of all people for the betterment of our communities, Massachusetts, and the world. Our cultural competency learning begins inside the classroom through socially-just centered curriculum and pedagogical praxis and continues in our communities as we practice to enact our commitment to social justice. Anna Maria College's commitment to inclusive community, social justice, and engaged service is grounded in the knowledge and faith that we are all members of the human family made in the image of our Creator and we are all called to respect, serve, and love all people as brothers and sisters.
Vision Statement
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is a catalyst that will transform Anna Maria College into the exemplar of a culturally competent campus community, engaged in learning, research and service both in and of the community.
Understanding Inclusion and Diversity
Our commitment to an inclusive community begins with Anna Maria College’s mission “to nurturing the development of a sense of respect for oneself and for others, as well as a sense of responsibility to society and the world.” AMC’s mission is dually grounded in our Sister of Saint Anne tradition to “help those whom God places on our path attain the fullness of life," and our Catholic tradition that challenges its adherents not only to love their neighbors but to love their enemies as well.
As individuals, we have multiple social identities related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religious affiliation, and socio-economic status. A single one of these social identities does not encompass or express the totality of an individual’s worldview or experiences. Our social identities intersect, shaping our experiences, how we respond to them, and, subsequently, our worldviews. As the name indicates, social identities have an external component to them. Societal and historical circumstances define and give value to these social identities. As structurally-embedded and historically contingent, certain social identities have and continue to marginalize particular communities and perpetuate structural inequality. Our work around diversity encompasses both the individual and structural (i.e., societal) components of our social identities. Moreover, issues of power and privilege must be addressed in order to enact our commitment to living in an inclusive and equitable community.
