The precious blood of Christ, shed for each human being, gives value and worth to all human beings. The dignity possessed by all because they have been redeemed by Christ ought to be reflected by Christians who treat all in accordance with this God-given dignity.

The Special Committee on Diversity and Belonging

The University-wide Special Committee on Diversity and Belonging exists to ensure Concordia University achieves its goal to increase opportunities on our campuses and in our classrooms where all people encounter meaningful engagement and discover and use their unique, God-given gifts.

Formed as part of the University Strategy Team in 2020, this group of campus officials, leaders, faculty, and staff represent the breadth of the Concordia experience. The committee works in four specific areas to recommend and conduct projects and programs that move Concordia toward the more complete achievement of its mission.

1. Demographic realities

What is the current picture? Where do we excel? Where do we fail? What projects, policies, processes, or initiatives stand to bring us closer to our aspirational goal?

2. The fabric of the Concordia culture & the lived experience of Christian community

What is and ought be the lived experience of diversity within Concordia’s Lutheran Christian culture? How might we transform our current experience to achieve our goal? How is diversity as an experience distinctive in the setting of our Christian university? How do we engage the entire community in this shared work and set of values?

3. Concordia’s organizational structures and systems

How can we measure the effectiveness of our current structures and systems on our diversity goals? Have we defined roles properly? How does our approach compare with established best practices?

4. Academic influence and contributions

What intellectual resources do we currently apply to advancing issues of diversity? How do these issues fit within our teaching and learning agendas? What is the unique contribution that Lutheran Christian scholarship can make on these critical issues? What more can and should we do both to create and to disseminate knowledge to achieve our goals?


Our commitments to each other

As we work toward our goals, this committee holds to the truth of Romans 12:10: to love each other as family, and outdo each other in honor.

Acknowledge

We honor each other when we acknowledge that too often people of color, minoritized, and under-represented people endure harm directly or indirectly through various forms of aggression and micro-aggression. Each of us has a responsibility to educate ourselves and to use our influence to overcome prejudice and bigotry on our campuses and in our communities.

Affirm

We honor each other when we affirm that prejudice, bigotry, and racism are a problem and that all people have a right to feel safe and respected. Each of us has a duty to do what we can to provide that safety where we can. We should be willing to listen, talk about what is happening, and make changes to improve our Christian community, together.

Act

We honor each other when we act and use the power we have to affect change, as required, when required and in ways that love God and our neighbor.