The Patrick Leahy Honors College is committed to building and fostering a community of care where every community member feels included, heard, supported, has access to resources needed to success both in the classroom and beyond, and has a sense of belonging. The Committee on Equity and Inclusion as well as the Student Equity Action Committee work in partnership with college leadership to advance an equitable environment that embraces diversity of identities, thoughts, and experiences. In line with UVM's Common Ground Values of respect, integrity, innovation, openness, justice, and responsibility, PLHC staff, faculty, and students, are in constant engagement through various programming, institutional advocacy, and open & meaningful conversation for inclusive excellence.
Committee on Equity and Inclusion Mission Statement
The Committee on Equity and Inclusion (CEI) supports and advocates for students from marginalized identities. We work strategically with College leadership to address inequities in our community and build an inclusive, interculturally competent Honors College.
Student Equity Action Committee (SEAC) Mission Statement
The Student Equity Action Committee (SEAC) strives to build and maintain an equitable Honors College community of globally responsible and multiculturally competent individuals. We will embrace the knowledge, skills, and voices of those with diverse experiences to foster an atmosphere of inclusion and excellence in alignment with university-wide efforts.
A Letter from Dean Jenemann
A Letter from Dean Jenemann
For the University of Vermont Patrick Leahy Honors College, diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to the definition of who we are. With students from every undergraduate college, and nearly every undergraduate major and academic discipline represented, the PLHC is necessarily intellectually and academically diverse. However, we would fail in our obligation to being a “community of inquiry” if we did not also promote and champion diversity in other registers. The Patrick Leahy Honors College endeavors to cultivate multiple perspectives and gives its students the tools and the space to develop as both critical thinkers and as global citizens. Hence we strive to be a welcoming, nurturing, and inspiring place for students and staff not regardless their identity, beliefs, or places of origin, but as an intentional consequence of the many different individuals and backgrounds that make up the PLHC.
But diversity is only one part of what makes the Patrick Leahy Honors College, because a diverse community demands a diligent cultivation of equity and inclusion for marginalized and underrepresented students, faculty, and staff. For us, the terms “equity” and “inclusion” not only mean that every member of the Honors College has a voice and a role in our community, but also an equal share in the responsibility for making the HCOL a safe, welcoming, and just environment where students can learn and reach their full potential as future scholars and leaders. We take this obligation seriously, because the empowerment of each individual to discover and express themselves strengthens the community as a whole. We strive to be a leader in creating a just, equitable, and inclusive learning environment, because the students we encounter in the Patrick Leahy Honors College will help ensure that we have a just, equitable, and inclusive world tomorrow.
Committee on Equity and Inclusion Committee Charge, 8/1/2023 through 6/30/2024
Committee on Equity and Inclusion Mission Statement: The Patrick Leahy Honors College Committee on Equity and Inclusion (CEI) supports and advocates for students from marginalized identities. We work strategically with College leadership to address inequities in our community and build an inclusive, interculturally competent Honors College.
Areas of Emphasis:
- Support the Dean in the onboarding of a new Diversity Officer.
- Support Patrick Leahy Honors College (PLHC) staff members’ learning and growth for the purposes of implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) responsibilities.
- Advise and collaborate with the Student Equity Action Committee (SEAC).
Student Education and Engagement
- Host a training retreat for SEAC.
- Meet with SEAC at least monthly for planning, updates, and mentorship.
- Support the coordination of the Peer Mentors’ training in DEI.
- Organize diversity trainings for student leadership groups at least once per semester. that prepares them to respond to the diverse needs of students.
- Host two programs to foster students’ development in intercultural competence and social justice.
- Collaborate with campus partners to organize regular affinity spaces for students with marginalized identities.
Building Institutional Equity
- Advocate for greater integration of DEI into all PLHC staff’s job responsibilities and CEI members’ position descriptions.
- Champion inclusive practices in our respective job duties and working groups (Advising Team, FOUR, Academic Standards, etc.).
- Advocate for quarterly teamwide report-outs on progress toward Inclusive Excellence Plan goals.
Staff Engagement and Professional Development
- Organize two equity-themed staff trainings.
- Promote learning among PLHC staff by facilitating regular educational discussions related to inclusivity and belonging.
- Support the new Diversity Officer in their consultative role with PLHC staff and faculty.
- Advance our own learning and professional development through training opportunities and by collaborating often with campus partners.
A Letter from the Student Equity Action Committee
Fellow Honors College Peers,
The Honors College (HCOL) can be described as a community with an abundant source of academic curiosity and intellectual diversity. Despite this, our community continues to be a reflection of the demographic homogeneity of UVM as a whole. It is important that we acknowledge this fact because marginalized communities are already at risk in diverse contexts — even more so within the realm of higher education. This is why we must work hard to support and uplift underrepresented voices. We strive to do this through institutional advocacy, programming, self-education, and open, meaningful conversations.
That being said, the UVM community is not a safe haven where issues cease to exist. The fight for equity isn’t over merely because many of us acknowledge its existence; it is an ongoing effort which necessitates continued hard work, listening to student voices, and coalition-building. It is key to identify issues which affect students of marginalized identities, and to then construct actionable plans with targeted policies specifically designed to help support these students. It is often the societal assumption that it’s the duty of individuals of marginalized backgrounds to educate their peers on their identity, but this often emotionally draining, and time-consuming task should not be their sole responsibility. Therefore, extra effort must be placed on educating students on diversity and inclusion within structured courses.
Overall, it is within the power of the students to be the change for a better and more equitable future and it is the role of faculty and staff to be mentors who aid students as they develop and transition into that role. We want to empower and support students to get involved. It is the community's responsibility to have respectful, open, and supportive communication in addressing injustice. The Student Equity Action Committee (SEAC), strives to maintain and encourage this dialogue on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in order to help develop a more culturally competent environment, and to inform students on how we can dismantle systemic injustices. It is through these efforts that HCOL can achieve its goal of creating globally responsible citizens.
- SEAC