Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Our department strives to be an intellectually welcoming place. We value diversity of background, viewpoint, and identity. Consistent with principles of academic freedom, we are committed to the following:
- helping students from marginalized groups to overcome obstacles they face to success in our program
- incorporating into our training of new graduate student instructors discussion of approaches meant to promote open discussion and elicit participation from diverse students
- adherence to University policies safeguarding against bias in graduate admissions and in hiring and promotion decisions
- fostering an environment in our classrooms, meetings, and colloquia in which people feel comfortable voicing questions and objections
- providing support for a local chapter of the Minorities and Philosophy (MaP) organization
- providing meaningful accommodations to students and faculty with disabilities, as required by University policies and by the Americans with Disabilities Act
- regular surveys of the climate of our department for students, faculty and staff
If you have questions or suggestions about the work of our Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) please contact Elizabeth Schechter (eschecht@umd.edu).
Some further resources concerning diversity and inclusion in philosophy and at the University of Maryland are:
https://www.usmd.edu/IRIS/Dashboard/Diversity-and-Inclusion/?view=UMCP
https://blog.apaonline.org/2020/06/11/diversity-in-philosophy-departments-introduction/
https://women-in-philosophy.org/