“Diversity is a fact. Equity is a goal. Inclusion is a practice. This DEI website is one tool in working toward a more equitable and anti-racist institution. Here we share our current commitments, actions, and progress. The website is intended both to inform the community of work underway and to help hold ourselves accountable while working toward our goals.”
—Mary James,
Dean for Institutional Diversity & A.A. Knowlton Professor of Physics
Guiding Principles
Reed is committed to supporting an open-minded community in which all students, faculty, and staff are able to live, learn, and work as freely as possible from the pernicious effects of systemic racism and other forms of oppression, discrimination, and marginalization.
Commitment to diversity
Reed embraces the inherent value of diversity and is committed to attracting the best and brightest from every group, including those who have historically experienced discrimination and prejudice. Learn more
Commitment to anti-racism
Reed embraces the inherent value of diversity and is committed to attracting the best and brightest from every group, including those who have historically experienced discrimination and prejudice, for it recognizes that dialogue between people with different perspectives, values, and backgrounds enhances the possibilities for serious intellectual inquiry. Learn more
Where We Stand
Over the past decade, Reed has taken significant steps toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive community. In 2009, Reed ratified a diversity statement. In 2011, the college followed up on this commitment by establishing the Reed College Office for Institutional Diversity. While progress was being made, Reed experienced a watershed moment during the 2016–17 academic year. Galvanized by a nationwide movement for social justice, Reed students pushed for changes in the college's priorities, policies, curriculum, and commitment to equity.
The Reed community can point to major accomplishments in recent years, while acknowledging that there is much work yet to do to evolve into the community we aspire to become:
- Welcomed and enrolled the most diverse domestic and international classes in Reed’s history.
- Passed an anti-racism statement in 2017.
- Created the comparative race and ethnicity studies interdisciplinary major in 2018 and grew the program in 2021.
- Revamped the Humanities 110 program in 2018 to include more texts, creative works, and experiences of marginalized people, expanding the scope of the foundational course from Ancient Greece and Rome to include the Americas. Faculty received extensive training in inclusive pedagogy.
- Realigned staff and resources to increase capacity of the Reed College Office for Institutional Diversity in 2020.
- Created the Center for Teaching and Learning, which is focused on professional development for faculty and staff in inclusive pedagogical practices.
- Endowed the Social Justice Research and Education Fund in 2020, providing paid internships for students to work with faculty and staff on social justice projects.
- Established an anti-racism and inclusive excellence mini-grant in 2020 to support related initiatives by faculty members.
- Appointed the first woman and first openly gay president of Reed College, Audrey Bilger, who is an experienced champion of change and DEI initiatives in education.
- Focused 2019 Reed On The Road sessions on diversity and inclusion, where Dean James explored the idea of “access” in higher education as being more than an acceptance letter, a scholarship, and a seat in a classroom.
- Made significant changes to staff and faculty hiring protocols to reduce bias and increase applicants from diverse backgrounds.
Focus Areas
Building a diverse community
Reed College continues to refine its ongoing efforts to attract outstanding students, faculty, and staff to the college by implementing inclusive recruiting and hiring practices focused on diversifying our community. Learn more
Supporting a diverse community
Admitting a diverse class of new students and hiring promising new faculty and staff from a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences is only the first step. The college is committed to ensuring that students and employees—particularly those from underrepresented or marginalized groups—succeed and thrive intellectually, professionally, and personally at Reed. Learn more
Creating a welcoming climate
Fostering an open and welcoming ecosystem in which students, faculty, and staff feel they belong is fundamental to the college’s mission. Learn more
Building academic excellence through inclusivity
Academic excellence and inclusivity go hand in hand. Multiple perspectives and voices, drawn from diverse backgrounds and experiences, are essential to Reed’s rigorous academic program. Learn more
Promoting professional learning & growth
Professional development must address inclusive pedagogy; inclusive leadership; management of productive discomfort; implicit bias; cultural responsiveness in education, work, and residential spaces; and other skill-based topics that address diversity, equity, and inclusion across the campus community. Learn more
DEI News
Eid al-Fitr makes its animated debut
After growing up watching reactionary stereotypes, a screenwriter creates space for nuanced Muslim characters.
Science and Systematic Racism
A year since the murder of George Floyd, the scientific community still needs to listen to more Black voices.
What the Pandemic Has Taught Us about Teaching (and Learning)
How coronavirus spurred Reed professors to rethink their classroom strategies.Resources
Diversity and inclusion is everyone's responsibility. Learn more about the many on-campus groups working to advance diversity and inclusion within the Reed community as well as the resources they provide.
- Office for Institutional Diversity (OID)
- Multicultural Resource Center (MRC)
- Comparative Race and Ethnicity Studies (CRES)
- Student, Faculty & Staff Committees on Diversity (CODs)
- Alumni Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- Office of Disability & Accessibility Resources (DAR)
- Office of International Student Services (ISS)
- Students for Education, Equity, and Direct Service (SEEDS)
- Sex, Gender, and Sexuality (SGS) Studies Committee
- Trans Inclusion Working Group