Gustavus Adolphus College

The Office of Admission at Gustavus "works to recruit a diverse class of incoming students each year believing that our community and the learning on campus is strengthened through different perspectives and cultures."

On June 9, 2023, the college's President issued a statement in anticipation of the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads in part as follows: "As we await this outcome, I want to reaffirm to the entire Gustavus community that the College remains committed to expanding our diversity and being accessible and welcoming to all students, regardless of background...We admit and support students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds not only as a moral duty, but because it’s a vital element of a first-rate liberal arts education...Although this decision may alter some admission and enrollment processes, I’m confident we have the necessary ingenuity and resilience to fulfill our mission and promote and defend diversity, whatever the new laws may be."

The President's Council on DEI states that it would "[d]evelop multicultural student recruitment standards that reflect an increased focus on racially diverse students" and "[m]andate each recruitment staff member to actively recruit targeted groups."

The Gustavus 2016-2026 Strategic Plan states that it would "[i]dentify, recruit, retain, and support students and employees currently underrepresented at the College."

One of the college's student organizations, Building Bridges, "focuses on educating and informing community members on issues relating to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion." Each year the organization holds a conference which "aims to educate the community through keynote speakers, a series of workshops and other interactive elements" on social justice issues.

The college published its "Racial Justice and Inclusion" 2020-2023 Planning Document which states that it would "educate all College employees, students, and trustees about Racial Justice and Inclusion by May 31, 2021, and create a plan for ongoing antiracism learning and development by May 31, 2022." The documents also states that the college would "enact changes to Gustavus policies and practices to ensure the advancement of Racial Justice and Inclusion by May 2023."

The President's Council on DEI states, "Develop the Core Values comprehensive and ongoing education opportunities including workshops, webinars, and trainings." The council would also "[d]evelop supervisor training to ensure supervisors are adequately prepared to supervise and evaluate employees to meet performance standards regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion."

The History Department committed to an, "Intentional focus on examining our curriculum and syllabi for ways we can improve topics, readings, content, and assignments with anti-racism in mind."

The History Department said that, in 2011, the "new history major curriculum required all majors to take a course that emphasized social constructions of race, class, and/or gender."

The college has a "Bias Response Team" and links to its online reporting form.

The Gustavus Merit-Based Scholarship list for 2024-2025 includes the Diversity Scholarship which is "granted to students who bring diversity to campus" and in which "[e]thnicity is one of several factors considered but is not an exclusive condition of eligibility."

In 2022, the John S. Kendall Center for Engaged Learning at Gustavus offered grants in order to support "faculty designing a new semester-long course, or substantially re-designing an existing semester-long course, to reflect a global, multicultural, or interdisciplinary curriculum." 

A speaker during the 2022 MLK Jr. Day programming brought " critical historical perspectives to anti-racism interventions in science, medicine, and public health" and "contributed to institutional efforts to diversify STEM, including anti-racist pedagogy and curricula."

The library offers a "Black Lives Matter" resource guide.

One of the "areas of expertise" for Gustavus Faculty member Jaren Crist is Critical Race Theory.

The college provides an extensive resource list on the topics of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging which includes: "New York Times – 26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity with Students," "Learning for Justice," and the "How to Be An Antiracist - discussion guide."

The Diversity Leadership Council at Gustavus is a "collection of over 20 student organizations and 7 executive members that advocate for on-campus diversity initiatives by abiding to our core values of community, equity, transparency, and intersectionality."

One of the functions of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is to "support faculty activities around teaching, professional development, and service that contributes to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the academic program in coordination with the Kendall Center."

On October 8, 2020, the college's Board of Trustees published its "Resolution on Racial Justice and Inclusion" which states, "The Board of Trustees affirms that a liberal arts education of recognized excellence should include diverse voices and viewpoints, and that in order to offer such an education, a college must take concerted steps to include voices and viewpoints otherwise missing from consideration, including, and in particular, those held by people from marginalized communities."

The college's 2023-2024 Academic Bulletin includes a course titled "Race and Space in the US" which is described as follows: "Geography plays a crucial role in reproducing unequal racial relations in the U.S.. [sic] Geography, too, is fundamental in the fight toward racial justice in the U.S. This course explores the various ways in which struggles over space and place—such as access to affordable housing and public space, suburbanization, border control, and urban policing, among other topics— reveal the contested meanings and effects of race and racism in the United States. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples, the course also explores the geographies of anti-racist struggles to reflect on the possibilities of a racially just and equal U.S. society."

The college's 2023-2024 Academic Bulletin includes a course titled "Human Relations in Education" which is described as follows: "This course examines theories and strategies for teaching in racially and culturally diverse classrooms. Topics include the experiences of diverse social and cultural groups in education; the impact of racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression on educational pedagogy and institutions; the influence of individual social identities on the teaching and learning experience; and strategies for teaching from a multicultural, anti-racist perspective."

The goal of the President's Council on DEI is to "develop a culture of teaching, research, and learning where diverse voices and experiences help shape our shared understanding of how to live as an inclusive community."

The Counseling Center provides "Resources for Activism, BIPOC Students, and Anti-Racism."

Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution affirming the College's commitment to “Racial Justice and Inclusion and outlined a three-year vision for work related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracist efforts”.

The History Department committed to providing, "An open forum with majors and minors to hear about the kinds of events that would benefit their understanding of race, racism, white supremacy, and contemporary events."

On October 8, 2020, the college's Board of Trustees published its "Resolution on Racial Justice and Inclusion" which states, "the current national and global movement for Racial Justice and Inclusion has increased awareness among the College’s entire community including trustees, administration, faculty, staff, students, and alumni for the need to further elevate and advance the necessary work."

The President’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will "[i]dentify and examine institutional barriers related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including those associated with Gustavus’ history, values, and structures."