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Ottawa University – Kansas

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
1001 S. Cedar St.
Ottawa, Kansas 66067
Phone
(800) 755-5200
Email address
admiss@ottawa.edu
School Information
"Building on its foundation as a Christ-inspired community of grace and open inquiry, Ottawa University prepares professional and liberal arts graduates for lifetimes of personal significance, vocational fulfillment, and service to God and humanity" (Source: https://www.ottawa.edu/about/mission-and-vision). Founded in 1865, OUKS enrolls over 700 students and has a student to faculty ratio of 10 to 1.
General Information
Ottawa has crafted a Diversify Statement which discusses the university's commitment to diversity. OUKS also incorporates the concept of cultural competence into some departments, and offers library resources. At this time, no mandatory Critical Race Training is being instituted. See developments below:

Actions Taken

Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • OAKS' Physical Education program calls upon students to gain "an awareness of cultural diversity and the social and political contexts of education."
  • Students in the Bachelor of Arts in Human and Social Services program "will develop skills in cultural competence by learning about issues of diversity and social equity."
Program and Research Funding
  • OAKS’ Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education program caters to diversity and inclusion and includes a course, “Foundations of Schools: Diversity Society,” which “addresses the legal and ethical issues of inclusion and diversity.”
Resources
  • The Gangwish Library is committed to "providing diverse materials that represent cultural, ethical, philosophical, educational, and religious perspectives."
  • OUKS has a Diversity Activities Student Board which "is an organization designed to facilitate a shared knowledge of diversity and culture competency on the Ottawa Campus and in the Ottawa Community."
  • OAKS has an Office of Multicultural Affairs. Its Multicultural Programming Coordinator, Donald J. Anderson, focuses on facilitating "a shared knowledge of diversity and cultural competency on the Ottawa University campus as well as the greater community."
  • OAKS prepares future educators to be “tasked with exposing students to concepts of inclusion and diversity and creating classrooms that provide opportunities to explore these important issues” within the context of the Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education program. OAKS has a website outlining what future educators should do, and one such recommendation is to “[evaluate] your own biases” and “[practice] inclusion.”
  • OAKS has an article from August 2020 outlining why cultural competency, diversity, and inclusion are important in the context of the Bachelor of Arts in Human and Social Services program.
Symbolic Actions
  • OAKS has a lengthy Diversity Statement which states that the university will engage in diversity "beyond mere study."
  • On August 5, 2020, OAKS released an article discussing cultural competency and why it is important to the institution.
Last updated February 24th, 2024
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