Diversity and inclusion are vital to the present, and future, of the higher education workforce. Diverse, inclusive institutions generate innovative solutions, develop organizational resiliency, and reflect our increasingly interconnected world. 

A diverse workforce is a critical component of inclusive higher education communities. Diverse faculty and staff advances academia’s efforts to expand students’ intellectual horizons, catalyze groundbreaking discoveries, incubate social movements, and spark visionary arts. A diverse learning environment also equips students to navigate, and lead, our pluralistic society.

HERC believes a diverse academic workforce deserves an inclusive academic workplace. To that end, HERC works to ensure higher education institutions are sites of belonging, where all faculty and staff can thrive. 

HERC defines diversity as including age, ancestry, class, color, disability (mental and physical, including HIV and AIDS), domestic partnership or marital status, educational background, family status, gender identity and expression, genetic information, ethnicity, immigration status, medical condition, military and veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and medical conditions related to pregnancy), sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. We follow the lead of diverse communities and aim to mirror the ever-evolving language they use to define themselves.