PCOM's Commitment to Diversity

As active citizens in a multicultural world, the PCOM community cultivates an environment of inquiry, inquisitiveness and respect, promotes discovery and celebration of our differences and fosters appreciation of the rich social fabric that binds us together.

The Office of Diversity and Community Relations provides the vision, leadership and management to advance PCOM's goals to support a culture of open inquiry, pluralism and mutual respect among students, faculty and staff. The office partners with all campus units to encourage an environment of shared responsibility and ownership for the diversity and inclusion philosophy across the Philadelphia and suburban Atlanta campuses. The office is committed to promoting programs and initiatives that improve the quality of life in underserved communities.

Diversity: The Academic Mission

The American Association for Higher Education and the American Association of University Professors are among over 40 educationally oriented organizations that endorsed On the Importance of Diversity in Higher Education (2002), a report outlining the critical link between diversity and higher education. The statement includes the following:

• Diversity enriches the educational experience. We learn from those whose experiences, beliefs and perspectives are different from our own, and these lessons can be taught best in a richly diverse intellectual and social environment.
• Learning in a diverse environment promotes personal growth; challenges stereotyped preconceptions; encourages critical thinking; and helps students learn to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds. Diversity strengthens communities and the workplace.
• Education within a diverse setting prepares students to become good citizens in an increasingly complex, pluralistic society; it fosters mutual respect and teamwork; and it helps build communities whose members are judged by the quality of their character and their contributions.