Belmont University

Belmont has "further developed self-directed learning opportunities for faculty and staff, as well as added opportunities for shared experiences and discussion in areas related to diversity, equity, and inclusion," and furthermore, "faculty and staff participated in 45 Diversity and Inclusion workshops, and student leaders participated in Belmont State of Mind diversity training."

Belmont created a media presentation titled "The Look" which is a guide on unconscious bias. The presentation states, "Through community conversations leveraging P&G’s latest short-form content, THE LOOK, we hope to raise awareness and understanding for the bias that persists in America today and encourage people of all backgrounds to show up for one another in the quest to end all forms of bias."

Belmont stated that, "In addition to sponsoring the memorial, the 2020 Faculty Senate also led a number of new and expanded initiatives related to educational efforts around diversity and inclusion, including the creation of a diversity and inclusion resource guide to assist faculty with course development; partnering with the Teaching Center to provide diversity, equity and inclusion workshops; and prompting initiatives to encourage first-year and other courses to discuss and write about racism and anti-racism efforts, among other projects."

On June 15, 2020, Belmont's Faculty Senate released a statement saying, "Our faculty commits itself to addressing racism, prejudice, white supremacy, and discrimination. We affirm the need for consistent engagement to ensure that our curriculum, our policies and practices, and our institutional culture support the well-being of students, staff, and faculty who are Black, Indigenous, and all other People of Color. We stand united against racism and pledge to make this work a focus of the Faculty Senate this academic year."

Belmont's "BASIC Catalog and Curriculum Course Proposal Form" asks professors to include a Diversity Impact Statement which is described as follows: "In what ways will this course include perspectives from diverse and/or historically underrepresented populations? If not applicable, explain. (Required for new and revised course proposals.)"

Belmont outlines its "Bias Grievances" reporting system and state the following: "Bias Grievances in this context refer to the formal reporting of speech/rhetoric, violence, symbols or actions that have a discriminatory or bias connotation. Students, faculty or staff that have witnessed or have experienced behavior that falls within this definition and wish to report it to the Belmont University administration are asked to complete this form."

Belmont has a Faculty Inclusion and Diversity Education Committee which is defined as "a sub-committee of faculty senate and the University Staff Affairs Council (USAC) to understand how to better engage faculty and staff in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives."

The school raised nearly $30,000 as part of an initiative set by the Faculty Senate in July of 2020 in order to build a monument to symbolize "the relationship between the land on which Belmont sits - along with all the institutions that have been on it - to the practices of slavery, white supremacy, and racism."

Belmont announced that the school "awarded a faculty member a one-year membership to the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development."

Belmont continued their "support of scholarship programs designed to recruit diverse students to Belmont."

Belmont has a Diversity Fellows Program which is a program that "provides a two-year, comprehensive, university-level teaching and research experience with a Belmont faculty member mentor to members of under-represented groups that have recently completed their terminal degree."

Belmont states that its Scholar-In-Residence Program, which began in 2016, " brings diverse scholars– deans, senior administrators, presidents, or other scholars– whose lives and careers serve as an inspiration to underrepresented students."

Belmont has a Welcome Home Diversity Council which "meets regularly to support Belmont's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and serves in an advisory capacity to senior leadership."

The university has "extended the reach of the WHDC by establishing dedicated sub-committees to focus on each core diversity strategy: Communication, Access and Success, Diversity Education and Campus and Community Engagement."

Belmont has "expanded and strengthened all diversity programming, providing opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to be involved, learn, and participate in a more extensive lineup of events, speakers, and panelists than in previous years, including "Belmont’s Diversity Week - An initiative of the WHDC now in its 6th year, and the Curb College’s annual 'Minding the Gap' Diversity in Entertainment Symposium."

Belmont has created a Diversity and Inclusion Resource Guide, which includes Ibram X. Kendi's Anti-Racist Reading List as well as his book, "How to Be an Anti-Racist."

Belmont University’s Office of Multicultural Learning & Experience is committed to “provid[ing their] community information about various challenges that affect and often inhibit [their] pursuit of inclusive excellence.” On this site, it provides resources on about how to talk about bias, systematic racism, how to demonstrate inclusive excellence, and how to support people of color.

On February 21, Dr. Joseph Cooper, also known as the “J. Keith Motley Endowed Chair of Sport Leadership and Administration and Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Black Life at the University of Massachusetts Boston,” was invited to deliver a talk entitled Holistic (Under)Development Through Sport and (Mis)Education. During this talk, he will “explore conditions that influence Black male holistic athletes’ experiences and outcomes in exploitative sporting and schooling spaces compared to empowering sporting and educational environments.”

Belmont University’s Office of Multicultural Learning and Experience has a page designated to Black History Month that outlines different events that they will be holding in honor of Black History Month. Many of these events are focused on race, identity, and difference and will run the entire month of February.

Reverend Charlie Curb Center for Faith Leadership at Belmont University offers a series of classes and workshops as well as guided conversations that are inclusive of topics such as LGBTQ, gun violence, racism, restorative justice, and more.

Belmont University’s spring 2022 chapel schedule offered a variety of topics discussing current topics regarding systemic racism within our nation.

Belmont's "Strategic Path to 2030" states that "Belmont is intent on taking actionable steps towards diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, until all these principles are interwoven in everything we do and produce as a University."

On July 9, 2021, Belmont highlighted faculty who presented talks discussing "structural racism" and related topics at the American Association of Clinical Pharmacy.

On March 25, 2021, Belmont's faculty "hosted an Anti-Asian racism roundtable."

Belmont announced that "amidst the national conversation about racial justice and equity, the University held more than twenty listening sessions with students, faculty, staff, and alumni to determine how Belmont could further demonstrate its commitment to be a welcoming and inclusive campus that loves and values every individual."

Belmont announced that the school "held a workshop with Sodexo’s Global Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Responsibility Dr. Rohini Anand covering workforce trends and the importance of diversity in higher education."

Belmont states that it has "partnered with Sodexo for a Diversity Summit for key campus leaders."

Belmont states that "each year, there is a breakfast and update meeting sponsored by the University to update diverse faculty of the progress made on campus to improve DEI."

On June 1, 2020, Belmont released a statement saying, "Recent events, including the horrific strangling of George Floyd, have troubled me for the past several days and stirred in me a desire to affirm what we believe at Belmont."

The Welcome Home Diversity Council at Belmont has established Juneteenth as a "paid holiday for employees."