Mission Statement

The Center for Inclusive Education & Scholarship (CIES) provides comprehensive and integrated academic support; coaching; leadership development; and diversity, equity, and inclusion programming to positively impact the retention, persistence, and sense of belonging for students who are first generation college students and historically underrepresented students of color. Our objective is to empower a community of scholars to pursue academic excellence, civically engage, acquire social and career capital, and develop as global thought leaders. CIES also serves as a student advocate and a catalyst for promoting diversity, inclusion, and cultural competencies for the University.

Guiding Principles

CIES works to empower a community of scholars with:

• Academic excellence – Pursuing progress over perfection, asking for help, utilizing services, as needed, and working as a community sharing knowledge and resources to persist to graduation and achieve academic goals.
• A Growth mindset – Developing skills and building resiliency when facing challenges and setbacks.
• Self-advocacy – Validating student experiences and concerns and knowing how to take effective action to address these needs.
• Cultural Capital – Building connections, valuing mentorship, and understanding the importance of what you know, who you know, and who knows you.
• Community Service – Exploring privilege and understanding one's role within community, to give back and positively contribute to social change.

Pillars

• Holistic student support
• Peer mentorship
• Student advocacy
• Diversity, equity, Inclusion, and belonging education