- Mailing Address
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2083 Lawrenceville Rd
Lawrenceville , New Jersey 08648 - Phone
- (609) 896-5000
- Website
- https://www.rider.edu/
- School Information
- Rider University is a comprehensive, private university centrally located between Philadelphia and New York City. More than 4,600 students are drawn to its programs in business, education, liberal arts, sciences, music, and fine and performing arts. The University's Engaged Learning Program is the unifying thread that runs throughout a Rider education, providing a deeply personal and destiny-shaping experience for every student. Through internships, study abroad, community service, research with faculty, participation in the arts and more, Rider students forge their own pathways and embark on exciting futures with the support of meaningful connections made at the university.
- General Information
- Rider University has undertaken a dramatic effort to infuse the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion into every aspect of the University’s functions. Rider authored an “Inclusive Excellence Plan” which details all the current and upcoming initiatives to diversify its student body and faculty, require diversity, microaggression, and implicit bias training on a regular basis, and facilitate campus discussions on race. In June 2020, Rider’s President called America “systemically racist” country and vowed to combat it on campus. The University’s library revamped its resources to promote “antiracist” literature. The Center for Diversity and Inclusion was awarded a physical office to carry out its mission, along with a new Chief Diversity Officer. This powerful Center now invites speakers and panels and facilitates peer-led dialogues on implicit bias, social justice, ally training, and the identity wheel. New students and faculty must go through DEI training. Student leadership candidates are vetted based on skin color and degree of cultural competency. See developments below:
Actions Taken
- Admissions Policies
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," Rider is "recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty and staff." This includes students "whose identities are underrepresented, marginalized and/or underresourced in higher education."
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One of Rider University's "Inclusion Goals" is to "improve the diversity of employees to better reflect the diverse identities represented in our student population."
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- Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
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Rider's President released a statement on June 10, 2020, announcing that the University had "undertaken steps to diversify our employees, including diverse faculty hiring practices, and a required commitment to diversity statement as part of the hiring application."
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," "All peer tutors and supplemental instruction leaders will complete diversity training that focuses on the importance of recognizing and overcoming implicit biases with the cultivation of empathy and compassion. The Milestone Scholars' peer mentors will undergo two training sessions on identifying and addressing microaggressions." (Page 17)
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," the University is to "improve the cultural competency of faculty and staff" by "implementing intentional diversity and inclusion training that is offered in all orientations for new faculty and staff." (Page 17)
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," Rider "Facilitated dedicated session on Inclusive Excellence for the full Board of Trustees." (Page 20)
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"Recruit diverse students to leadership positions. Develop and deliver specific diversity competency training as a component of a comprehensive leadership model approach to key student leadership positions." (Page 16)
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," Rider claims it its "Individual departments and divisions are implementing competency training regularly." (Page 18)
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," Rider introduced speakers, panels, and peer-led dialogues on "race," "racial bias," "implicit bias," "social justice," "safe zone ally training," and "the identity wheel." (Page 17)
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- Curriculum Changes and Requirements
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," the University will "Develop and deliver specific introduction to Rider’s values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for new students (e.g., summer orientation, Welcome Week, residential experience). Integrate explicit educational opportunities on diversity, equity, and inclusion for new students (e.g., summer orientation, Welcome Week, residential experience). Efforts will include a required virtual training module and intentional residential programming. (Student Affairs)" (Page 16)
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- Program and Research Funding
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On August 10, 2021, Rider named Barbara J. Lawrence as the inaugural "Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Chief Diversity officer."
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In 2020, Rider created the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and provided it physical space in the Bart Luedeke Center. This Center will commit to enforcing the goals of the "Inclusive Excellence Plan."
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- Resources
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Under the "Inclusive Excellence Plan," Rider created and followed a "'mandate' in CDS that 50% of our hired Student Employees would be underrepresented." (Page 21)
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Rider launched the "Inclusive Excellence Plan" to "intentionally infuse efforts to promote equity and inclusion in all aspects of our campus."
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Rider's library "currently maintains 9 research guides that provide resources concerning diversity, equity and inclusion." One of the guides offered by the library is titled "Race, Racism, and Antiracism." (Page 22)
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Rider's library provides resources on the 1619 Project, "How to Be an Antiracist," and "White Fragility."
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