Strategic Plan 2018-2025 - Goal #4

Goal #4: Western will pursue justice and equity in its policies, practices, and impacts.

Western sees equity, justice, inclusion, and diversity as fundamental principles calling for authentic engagement. Western acknowledges that, as an institution, it has failed to meet the needs of people of many races, ethnicities, creeds, socioeconomic classes, gender identities, sexual orientations, and disability statuses. WWU will contribute to redressing these inequities by transforming policies, structures, and practices to ensure meaningful inclusion.

1. Foster a positive and collaborative campus climate, including the physical environment, that welcomes and affirms the diversity of individuals, groups, cultures, and ideas.
2. Establish, fund and sustain practices of self-examination and continuous improvement to identify, understand, and remediate structural injustices and inequities at Western.
3. Recruit, retain, and support more underrepresented and first-generation students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
4. Implement model practices to improve our recruitment and retention of a diverse staff, faculty, and administration.
5. Increase affordability of and access to high quality undergraduate and graduate education at all Western’s locations.
6. Support and strengthen curricula and other programming that engage issues of access, equity, power, and privilege in and across disciplines.
7. Expand professional development opportunities for all staff and faculty to provide for additional leadership capacity in the effort toward equity and justice.
8. Expand and support respectful collaborative relationships with community partners and underrepresented groups to advance equity and social justice.
9. Pursue just action by taking all appropriate steps to protect survivors and to prevent sexual and other types of violence, discrimination, harassment, and bullying.