- Mailing Address
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611 E. Porter St.
Albion, Michigan 49224 - Phone
- (517) 629-1000
- Email address
- admission@albion.edu
- Website
- https://www.albion.edu/
- School Information
- "Albion College prepares bold, purpose-driven students to act. We’re a nationally-recognized liberal arts school with strong ties to our local community. Our students pursue their passions while gaining a true understanding of the world. They learn to turn critical thought into meaningful action. Our faculty make mentorship their top priority. We prioritize building a culture of belonging that makes space for everyone. Albion students graduate ready to thrive in rewarding careers, live meaningful lives and help build a better world. Since its founding in 1835, Albion College has grown and expanded its vision of a liberal arts education grounded in purpose, passion and academic excellence." The college has a student to faculty ratio of 12 to 1, with over 1,400 students. It offers over 50 majors and 50 minors. (Source: https://www.albion.edu/about/)
- General Information
- Albion College of Michigan has recently appointed a new president, Dr. Matthew B. Johnson, as of July 1, 2020. Following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Tony McDade, Albion College has implemented various anti-racist changes. In August 2020, Albion College launched the Blueprint for Belonging. This is an evaluation process which will give recommendations of actions to proceed with in June 2021. No mandatory Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. However, see developments below:
Actions Taken
- Admissions Policies
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The Human Rights Lab at Albion, in partnership with the Admissions Department, is creating a "diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) curriculum to train the tour guides at Albion College on how best to include information about DEI initiatives and adequately communicate the values of the college as an anti-racist institution."
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- Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
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The James L. Curtis for Race and Belonging at Albion offers a certificate program titled "Race and Social Justice." The certificate provides a "documented experiential learning sequence for students particularly interested in creating, analyzing, and leading conversations about racial identity, advocacy, and institutionalized racism in a United States context." The program is "intended for students who desire a sophisticated understanding of historical and ongoing racial justice issues, movements, policies, and structures" and "supports the critical appreciation of the social, political, and racial contexts of our public and interpersonal lives."
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On August 9, 2023, Albion held the "Lunch, Learn and Lead workshop series," which was "Developed and led by Vice President for Belonging and Culture Dr. Taran McZee." The series "invited faculty and staff to explore foundational principles of belonging and justice" and were "encouraged to share promising practices that move the Albion community closer to inclusive excellence." While "prior sessions explored Juneteenth, Microaggressions, Accessibility and SafeZone Training," the August 9 session focused on "Identifying Trigger Words."
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The Office of Belonging provides workshops for students, faculty, and staff on "Microaggression," "Identity, Power, and Privilege," and "Recognizing Stereotypes and "Removing Barriers."
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- Curriculum Changes and Requirements
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Albion College has created the Richard M. Smith Common Reading Experience where all of Albion's incoming class reads a shared text, according to the college program's description. Albion College has announced that "How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the 2021 Richard M. Smith Common Reading Experience for 2021."
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- Program and Research Funding
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Albion College has enacted a policy related to bringing in new faculty that requires "at least 50% BIPOC candidates in the semifinalist round to be allowed to move forward."
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The college will soon "announce a new Institute on Race and Belonging named after James L. Curtis '44."
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Albion College has recently partnered with Return On Inclusion, an institution that "delivers online sport-specific diversity and inclusion education." Participants of this program will be instructed with a "comprehensive diversity and inclusion training."
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The James L. Curtis Institute for Race and Belonging is "committed to using STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics] to answer critical questions about justice, equity and belonging..." and "promotes inclusive access to STEM knowledge."
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- Resources
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The college created a new unit called "Campus Life" that provides resources "to support more of the programming needs and desires of BIPOC students."
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Albion's Athletics Department published its "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement" (adapted from the NCAA's statement on inclusion) which reads in part as follows: "Albion College Athletics brings together individuals with a broad and unique range of backgrounds, experiences, cultures, beliefs and social views to create an inclusive environment that is crucial to our overall success. With that comes our DEI platform, designed to educate and inform our student-athletes, coaches and staff."
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On August 16, 2023, the college announced that "Experienced diversity and belonging professional" Rivkah Gamble joined Albion as its new associate director for belonging and culture. Gamble would be "responsible for developing, driving and implementing a college-wide framework for the cultivation and accountability for every member of the Albion College community to actively participate in creating a campus environment of equity, inclusion and belonging."
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The Albion College "Blueprint for Belonging Action Toolkit" states that the plan would "inform individual unit plans" which would in turn "provide the opportunity to look broadly at demographics, curriculum, co-curriculum, teaching, research, mentoring, business practices, program policies, graduation and advancement, staffing, and organizational climate – all in relation to the rich range of identity groups and communities that Albion College serves."
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On September 20, 2021, Albion welcomed author of "How to be an Antiracist," Ibram X. Kendi, to speak to audiences on the topic of race in America.
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The Human Rights Lab at Albion created a "Social Justice and Human Rights Advocacy Toolkit" which "offers practical ideas for building more inclusive communities, preventing bias, challenging hate, and increasing access to rights and justice."
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Albion's Student Advising document lists an article titled “Whose Culture has Capital? A Critical Race Theory Discussion of Cultural Wealth” as a resource for student advisors.
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- Symbolic Actions
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Albion College plans on joining the faculty consortium on diversity in order to begin "advocating to the faculty that they need to diversify as fast as possible" in addition to "diversifying the Cabinet" by having a higher ratio of individuals who identify as PoC hold a position in the Cabinet.
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On June 2, 2020, Albion's President issued a statement in response to the "murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Tony McDade" which reads in part as follows: "The violence against the Black community witnessed in recent days, at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve, is only the latest in a long history of violence perpetrated by authorities in our society. The murders... reflect deeply seeded white supremacist values that perpetuate the killing of Black people with impunity...White supremacist values are so deeply embedded in our society that individuals who believe deeply in equality and diversity—who consider themselves non-racist—unknowingly inhabit and support racist systems that harm, traumatize and kill Black people."
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