Diversity Policy
CalSouthern defines diversity in terms of 1) representation; 2) the University community; and 3) the curriculum and academic scholarship. The University provides high quality undergraduate and graduate degrees and educational programs to adult learners with diverse backgrounds such as race, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, sexual-orientation, disability, socio- economic background, and many others throughout the world using distance learning methodologies. The University is dedicated to providing a rich and dynamic educational experience without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation.
Representation
A benefit of offering online programs is the ability to attract learners, staff, and faculty mentors from varied backgrounds throughout the world. As a result, the University has a population that is represented by a diverse community of individuals of varied race, color, ancestry, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, religion, disability, and gender.
University Community
The University embraces an appreciation of diversity and is committed to maintaining a cultural community that allows for open communication and trust among all stakeholders. CalSouthern welcomes people of all ages, backgrounds, and sexual-orientation and is committed to addressing issues of intolerance, discriminatory practices, and bias. The University is dedicated to educational quality by developing a more profound understanding of each other, the world, resulting in education of greater relevance to participants in a multicultural society.
Curriculum and Academic Scholarship
The University welcomes a diverse population of learners, faculty mentors, staff, and administration and fosters a multi-cultural environment offering various perspectives which, in turn, adds richness and depth to the educational experience through the curriculum and co-curricular activities. Curriculum at all levels reflects a social and cultural understanding with specific outcomes of multi-cultural awareness of human diversity.
To cultivate an appreciation of diversity the University:
- Recruits faculty mentors and staff who are equally diverse and sensitive to the needs of our diverse student population.
- Utilizes courses to develop cross-cultural awareness among learners.
- Supports events that promote cultural awareness through community outreach.
- Fosters an awareness and appreciation of the interconnectedness of the social and cultural dimension within and across local, regional, state, national, and global communities.
- Adheres to the published nondiscrimination policy.
- Provides accommodations to learners with documented disabilities.
The University recognizes that diversity’s positive effects do not automatically accrue from a simple focus on numerical representations of various populations within the University community. Rather, diversity produces benefits through thoughtfully structured policies and programs designed to support and facilitate interaction among learners as part of the academic and co-curricular experience. These include outreach and enrichment, recruitment, financial aid, scholarships, general education diversity course requirements, programs designed to improve retention, and to cultivate a learning environment, in and out of the classroom, which enhance the individual and collective experiences of the campus community.