Diversity

Diversity, equity, and inclusivity underpin our values and actions. we nurture and promote individuals’ varied experiences and ideas, assuring that structures and processes permit full participation by all members of our communities.

Since its founding in 1994, the Michigan State University Graduate School has been committed to the overarching values of diversity, equity and inclusion by focusing on the recruitment, retention and support of traditionally underrepresented graduate student populations. DEI is central to our commitment to excellence in graduate education. The Graduate School’s strategic plan, Illuminating the Path Forward, 2019-2024, identifies “diversity, equity, and inclusivity” as being among the unit’s core and overarching values. according to the strategic plan: “Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity underpin our values and actions. We nurture and promote individuals’ varied experiences and ideas, assuring that structures and processes permit full participation by all members of our communities.” Our second major goal, “Diverse and Inclusive Communities,” strives to “expand our internal and external partnerships in order to implement inclusive recruitment and retention practices.”

While DEI guides all of our activities, the Graduate School provides a range of innovative programs and initiatives that focus specifically on DEI, including our Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) “Learning Community” and programs, SROP (Summer Research Opportunity Program), and support for diversity initiatives in the form of funding, fellowships and programs. These programs include the Academic Achievement Graduate Assistantships (AAGA), the King Chavez Parks (KCP) Future Faculty Fellowship Program, the University Fellowship Program, the Prospective Doctoral Student Recruitment and Retention Program (PDSRRP), and the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society, among others.