- Mailing Address
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1100 College Street
Eudora Welty Hall, 201
Columbus, Mississippi 39701 - Phone
- (662) 329-7106
- Email address
- admissions@muw.edu
- Website
- https://www.muw.edu/
- School Information
- "Founded in 1884 as the first public college for women in the United States, MUW is a tradition-rich university that has been home to such noted personalities as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty, among others. Over 30 years ago, MUW opened its doors to men." Furthermore, "Our three colleges feature more than 50 outstanding majors and concentrations. Outside of class, more than 75 campus organizations make campus life dynamic, interesting, and fun" (Source: https://www.muw.edu/about-muw). The student to faculty ratio is 12 to 1 and MUW's total undergraduate enrollment is over 2,400 students.
- General Information
- MUW has released statements responding to the anti-racism movement. MUW has began a Council for DEI which offers programming. MUW encourages faculty to review their syllabi and incorporate inclusive education. MUW offers diversity training to both student organizations and faculty. See developments below:
Actions Taken
- Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
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The MUW library offers an "Anti-Racism Student Workshop."
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The MUW library offered "Training Against Microaggressions" in Winter 2020 for staff.
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MUW offers Diversity Training upon request for student organizations.
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The MUW Alumni Association Board will "provide formal DEI education to the MUWAA Board and Committee Chairs."
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MUW states that it would "[d]evelop central diversity, equity and inclusion education and training resources for faculty, staff, and students designed to develop skills and behaviors that ultimately will enhance our campus climate."
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MUW states that it would "[i]mplement inclusive recruiting and search committee training to facilitate an increase in diversity among faculty and staff."
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- Program and Research Funding
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On February 6. 2023, MUW News announced that the Department of Sciences and Mathematics received the "Mississippi University for Women’s 2022-23 Impact Initiative Award" which included $1,000 towards its initiative to "enhance diversity, promote cultural diversity and cultivate an inclusive campus community."
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- Resources
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MUW's library offers numerous resources for "inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility." Its list for anti-racism includes Ibram X. Kendi's book, "How to Be an Anti-Racist."
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The MUW library offers an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Book Club.
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MUW stated that, "The Council for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion will be sponsoring a number of events and activities for The W Community."
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MUW offers definitions for diversity, equity, and inclusion respectively.
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MUW encourages faculty to utilize diversity material in their classes, stating, "The Kossen Center for Teaching & Learning encourages all MUW faculty to address diversity and inclusion in their classrooms and in the wider campus community." MUW offers resources to faculty for "General Inclusion," "Syllabus Design," "Managing Difficult Conversations in the Classroom," and "Diverse Faculty."
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The MUWAA will "execute a review ensuring inclusive language within all of our policies and procedures and all scholarship, award, or officer nomination forms and applications."
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The MUW President released a statement on November 3, 2020, stating, "At a time when there is so much division in our world, our W Community is coming together to participate in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council’s Unity project. I’d like to encourage all of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to take part in this project."
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- Symbolic Actions
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MUW's Poetry South journal stated, "Last summer, following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery that sparked national protests, along with the killing by police of Ricky Ball in our hometown of Columbus, Mississippi, and most recently the shooting of Rayshard Brooks, we were left wondering what we could do. Though a conviction was made for the murder of George Floyd, other killings by police, as well as mass shootings leave us with the same concerns." The journal also identified itself as inclusive.
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MUW has a Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion which offers an annual "Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award."
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MUW's Council for DEI offers a University Impact Award which is awarded "for any department/division, administrative unit, or officially recognized organization at The W which best exemplifies excellence through efforts to enhance diversity, promote cultural diversity and cultivate an inclusive campus community in teaching, service or leadership."
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On June 1, 2020, the MUW president announced, "The events of the past few days have added a whole new layer of turmoil to our present state of pandemic. Racism, injustice and violence have infected our society in a way much worse than any virus can."
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On February 24. 2022. the Faculty Senate adopted the "Resolution of the Mississippi University for Women Faculty Senate defending academic freedom to instruct in the classroom concerning matters of race, gender, and critical race theory." The Resolution was adopted in response to Mississippi legislative proposals that "threaten academic freedom and target academic discussions of race, gender, critical race theory and related issues in American history throughout Mississippi’s K-12 schools, colleges and universities."
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MUW's Office of the President issued an anti-racism statement titled "We Stand Together," which reads in part as follows: "We stand together intending to leverage the full weight of our positions and power to root out anti-Black policies and procedures. We stand together to provide equitable pathways to higher education in which diversity and inclusion is not only celebrated, but integral to the success of every student in every discipline. We stand together declining the antiquated call to lead institutions that are merely 'not racist;' instead, we aim to be 'anti-racist' and enhance our support of underrepresented faculty, staff, and students. For those of us born with privilege, we stand together to correct the inequities that benefit us at the expense of others."
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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)'s "We Stand Together Statement" written in collaboration with MUW's University's President, states that member schools "stand together to provide equitable pathways to higher education in which diversity and inclusion is not only celebrated, but integral to the success of every student in every discipline" and "for those of us born with privilege, we stand together to correct the inequities that benefit us at the expense of others."
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