Andrews University

On July 13, 2023, Interim Chief Diversity Officer Danielle Pilgrim issued a statement on Andrew's "Commitment to Increasing Access to Higher Ed," which reads in part, "here at Andrews University, we will continue to employ recruitment and retention strategies that seek to include diverse racial and ethnic populations within our Andrews family."

In 2017, Andrews announced "that all faculty and staff will go through expanded cultural diversity training."

The university's Culture and Inclusion webpage states that the university manages diversity by utilizing "student and faculty/staff training."

The Andrews Core Experience is a requirement for all Bachelors degree students. “The Andrews Core Experience Program at Andrews University includes an explicit emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity.” As part of this requirement, “the focus on multiculturalism and diversity includes specific emphasis in the following courses: COMM 104 - Communication Skills, ENGL 115 - College Writing I, RELT 100 - God and Human Life, and HIST 110 - Worldviews, Cultures and Gods.”

The university's Culture and Inclusion webpage states that the university manages diversity by the "integration of cultural competency training in classroom curriculum."

On June 19, 2020, President Andrea Luxton sent a letter to students saying, "On a personal level I have been outraged by the dispassionate and abusive use of authority and power that has resulted in the senseless killings of these three, now four Black lives. And yet strangely the phrase Black Lives Matter continues to cause debate over what this really means or implies. But this is not a time for debate, this is not a time for excuses, prevarications or words that are forged today and forgotten tomorrow. I’m convinced that we, corporately, as a nation and as a community, have a problem. Racism, here in the U.S. and wherever else it rears its head, directly leads to the sad repetition and heartache of such indefensible actions toward black individuals in our community. As a result, I believe that such systemic racism can only be resolved by corporate and intentional action. Andrews University stands for anti-racism."

"Andrews University is one of 24 United States universities and colleges who operate a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center." The TRHT Campus Center "is designed to focus on narrative change and racial healing to prepare the next generation of strategic leaders and thinkers as they break down racial hierarchies and achieve the positive transformation of society and communities which is so much needed right now."

In 2017, the University named its first Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. Michael Nixon was awarded the position, promising "spiritual, administrative and academic leadership for the equity and diversity vision, resources and programs across the University."

On June 17, 2021, President Andrea Luxton sent a letter to students promising to "commit to being an anti-racist institution." She added, "We commit to educating our Andrews University community on how to recognize their own unconscious bias..."

On June 19, 2020, President Andrea Luxton offered a list of resources to better understand anti-racism. The writings include, "The Case for Reparations," "Whiteness as Property," "The 1619 Project," and "21 Anti-Racist Videos to Share With Kids."

On December 8, 2022, the university published an article titled "The New Era of Book Bans," which discusses the recent increase in public school book bans on topics of race, gender, and sexuality. According to the article, bans on the teaching of Critical Race Theory are due to the following reasons: "The push behind banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) books seems to be rooted in the misconception that it cultivates a feeling or perception of hate toward white people, which is neither the goal nor intent of the theory. Rather, it serves to denote the racism embedded in governmental, educational, and judicial systems, not necessarily the people, and to provide an accurate and holistic portrait of history that is not the biased, idealized version. Sadly, some citizens cannot separate their person from the system, and this leads them to take personal offense and see this as an attack on patriotism."

Between October 14 - 16 of 2021, the university hosted the "Congress on Social Justice," which was "an event designed to highlight global issues of imbalance as well as the biblical solutions that address them."

Andrew's Culture and Inclusion webpage offers a variety of resources for its African American community including, "Addressing Racism in Higher Education: From Indifference to Inclusivity," and "College Campus Inclusivity for Black Men."

On February 28, 2023, published a statement from university President, Andrea Luxton, addressing "what it means to be #1 in Diversity among National Universities in the United States." While congratulating Andrew's on the accomplishment, Luxton also states the following: "And yet, I know that our status of #1 in Diversity brings fear and discomfort to some. How can something that is good in God’s plan become such a challenge for those that look on? I would suggest, to start with, that Critical Race Theory debates get in the way. Fear of 'wokeness' gets in the way, even if that wokeness cannot really be defined. Fear that I won’t be accepted because 'there are too many of ____ culture' gets in the way. And so we find excuses that allow us to push away what is good and enriching to seek to find a comfortable space, but I have to say it: a space that is less rich, less representative of God’s kingdom, and that consciously or unconsciously diminishes the awesomeness of God’s creation."

On June 16, 2022, the University President issued a statement in honor of Juneteenth saying that “Andrews University’s commitment to biblically driven knowledge and understanding is behind our ongoing pledge to clearly stand against racism and hatred, to commit to being an anti-racist institution.”

LEAD 230 - Diversity and Inclusion in Leadership