Throughout 2011, UMBC has taken steps to continue deepening its commitment to diversity as one of its core principles guiding the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students. Diversity is defined at
UMBC in its fullest scope, embracing not only racial and ethnic groups and individuals who are or have been underrepresented in higher education, but also including religious affiliation, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, foreign nationality, non-traditional student status, and other important characteristics.
UMBC has achieved national recognition as a model campus for its diversity initiatives, including The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, the UMBC ADVANCE program, the PROMISE Alliance, and the ACTiVATE Entrepreneurship program. These programs and others reflect the substantive commitment to diversity
that UMBC continues to fulfill. Four overarching goals constitute the organizing framework for UMBCs diversity programs:
A. To ensure access to educational and employment opportunities for a diverse student, faculty,
and staff community
B. To provide conditions for personal success
C. To provide a culture of safety, inclusion, and respect
D. To encourage and support individual development and advancement
The UMBC Diversity Plan dated March 4, 2009 advanced the following specific recommendations:
− Establish a Diversity Council
− Further enhance on-going initiatives by increasing the support for transfer students as UMBC continues to address the Achievement Gap
− Further enhance on-going initiatives by providing additional support for increasing the diversity of UMBCs faculty and staff
− Enhance support for the success of faculty and staff members recruited to UMBC under the various diversity initiatives
http://www.umbc.edu/provost/PDFs/DiversityReport22412.pdf