At the beginning of Fall 2003, the LAS College appointed a Diversity Committee to review college policies on diversity and recommend future action. The Committee produced in March 2004 a report entitled "A Clear, Accountable Commitment to Diversity." The full text of the report is available in PDF format and we invite you to read it. This report affirms the LAS College's commitment to diversity as a core value. In addition, the report lays out a series of recommendations for the College.
 
As a college committed to learning and discovery, we engage the entire campus community on issues that help shape the thinking of this nation and the world. We teach those courses whose curricular content naturally address issues of diversity and underrepresented groups. We lead the discussion on topics that celebrate, explain, and respect human differences and similarities.
 
As the largest college on this campus, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) has a special obligation and a moral imperative to be the institution’s leader in engaging students, faculty and staff, and the community on the importance of diversity in all respects. This college accepts the challenge and responsibility to promote diversity at every level.
 
The LAS administration is in the process of establishing a permanent Diversity Committee to advise the Dean on the full range of diversity issues confronted by the College. These include issues related to the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, staff, and student population, the quality of the college and university environments for diverse populations, and the appropriateness of the curriculum in providing students with the necessary knowledge and skills to function as global citizens. The LAS Diversity Committee will also be asked to coordinate with its university counterpart and to advise the Dean regarding recommendations from the university committee.

Michael Whiteford, Dean