Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As scholars and teachers, we in the liberal arts and sciences are uniquely positioned to examine the causes and effects of racism, homophobia and other injustices, and to offer solutions. Yet we must not remain dispassionately at arm’s length from these issues. In the best Drexel tradition, we are called to engage with them directly, to amplify the voices of the marginalized, to call out the wrongs, and to do everything in our power to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in all of its forms.

The College has taken numerous concrete steps in response. The initial charge of the newly formed Faculty Council, a conduit between the College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS) faculty and Dean Norma Bouchard, PhD, is to focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) issues. A new associate deanship responsible for overseeing DEI initiatives has been created. Each of our 13 academic departments and affiliated centers has established diversity councils and/or committees.

CoAS has a proud history of initiatives – faculty research, coursework and more – that seek to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to addressing and alleviating systemic bias within all institutions, and we invite you to join us in these efforts.

Taking Action: Research, Academics and Community

Psychology R3 Grant to Address Youth Confinement Amid COVID-19

Correctional facilities have emerged as hotspots for the spread of COVID-19, and confined youth face an increased risk of infection. A $95,000 grant has brought together a team of researchers in Drexel’s Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to inform alternatives to confinement for young people caught in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.

A Tale of Two Colleges: Drexel and Stillman Act on Memorandum of Understanding

Drexel University and Stillman College, a historically black university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, launched a collaboration to create unique opportunities for students from both schools — and expansion plans are already underway.

Storefront of Harriet's Bookshop located in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood

Drexel MFA Student Opens Harriett’s Bookshop in Fishtown

Harriett’s Bookshop, named in honor of Harriet Tubman, features a monthly literary rotation curated according to a theme — a comingling of new voices and “old voices that are new again,” says owner Jeannine Cook, a community activist and student in Drexel’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program

Featured Programs

Students, faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences have long collaborated with campus colleagues, forged external partnerships across sectors, and built relationships with community neighbors to advance diversity, equity and inclusion. Through our teaching, scholarship and engagement, we continue to explore and implement new ways of reducing injustice. The programs below are a sample of these efforts.

Each year, the Drexel SIM program partners with the School District of Philadelphia to serve a racially and ethnically diverse group of 10,000 students who attend economically disadvantaged schools.

Access to Science Education

Each year, through its partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, the Drexel Science In Motion (SIM) program increases access to science education for a racially and ethnically diverse group of students. Drexel SIM provides teachers with technical support and offers students attending economically disadvantaged schools hands-on, ‘real science’ laboratory experiences.

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The Spanish for Health Professionals Certificate is available to Drexel University students

Hispanic Health Equity

Nearly 6 in 10 Hispanic adults in the U.S. have a difficult time communicating with a healthcare provider because of a language or cultural barrier. The Spanish for Health Professionals certificate program prepares Drexel University's health professions students to effectively communicate with and provide culturally competent care for patients who speak Spanish as their native language.

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Literary Arts for Social Justice

Launched in 2014 as a university-community literary arts program, Drexel Writers Room is engaged in creative placemaking and art for social justice. With the help of its members—a diverse intergenerational group of community residents and Drexel students, faculty, staff and alumni— Writers Room offers classes, visiting writers, cultural events and monthly workshops that are free, inclusive and open to all.

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Mother Baby Connections is a specialty service of the Drexel Psychological Services Center

Helping New Mothers to Cope

Within the Drexel Psychological Services Center, Mother Baby Connections is a specialty service designed to help new mothers who are pregnant, or have given birth within the last year, to better cope with feeling stressed, depressed, or anxious. It is the only intensive outpatient program of its kind in the Philadelphia area dedicated to supporting vulnerable mothers.

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Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab strives to advance better outcomes for youth and communities by working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, to reform juvenile probation systems, to protect youths’ rights during police questioning, and to reduce racial and ethnic disparities within the justice system.

Reforming Juvenile Justice

Drexel's interdisciplinary Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab has collaborated with community stakeholders for more than 20 years to advance better outcomes for youth and communities by working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, to reform juvenile probation systems, to protect youths’ rights during police questioning, and to reduce racial and ethnic disparities within the justice system.

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Story Medicine is Community-Based Learning Course in fiction writing and collaborative creative processes that engages pediatric patients receiving treatment at local hospitals.

Engaging Pediatric Patients

Lights, camera, Story Medicine! Drexel students enrolled in Story Medicine (WRIT 215-001) —a community-based learning class— produce live shows, create YouTube videos, and write fiction for read-aloud stories that engage pediatric patients receiving treatment at local hospitals. Students explore the enrichment needs of hospitalized children through creative collaboration with them.

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