Who We Are
The Department of Inclusion & Equity’s purpose is to cultivate a university community where educational equity and well-being are realized through Shared Equity Leadership. In partnership with faculty, staff, students, and community members, we advance educational equity through shared responsibility at individual, collective, and institutional levels.
The I&E department collaborates across the institution to build capacity for embedding equitable processes and practices into the structures, learning environments, and partnerships that shape the university experience. Through consulting, educating, and advocating, we work alongside the campus community to translate shared values into meaningful action.
Guided by the belief that educational excellence is inseparable from educational equity, we strive toward our North Star:
Creating a culture of educational equity, without barriers to success, so that all people can thrive individually and collectively.
I&E Learning Opportunities
Understanding and Interrupting Implicit Bias 101
This workshop walks alongside participants to explore how implicit bias shapes our decision-making and impact on self/others/organizations, while building practical tools to notice, interrupt and reduce harm.
Poetry for Well-being: An Interactive Workshop
Explore your inner creativity through an interactive poetry workshop. Rotate through hands-on stations featuring blackout poetry, guided prompts, freewriting, and collage-making while taking time to slow down, reflect, and create. No experience required.
Green Zone Training: Supporting Veterans and Military-Connected Students
Green Zone Training at Grand Valley State University is a professional development program designed for faculty and staff to strengthen their understanding of the experiences of student veterans and military-connected students. The training highlights the
Teach-In
The “GVSU Teach-In: Lifelong Learning toward Educational Equity and Action” is a campus-wide, student-centered learning experience dedicated to advancing educational equity across the university.
Teach-In
The “GVSU Teach-In: Lifelong Learning toward Educational Equity and Action” is a campus-wide, student-centered learning experience dedicated to advancing educational equity across the university.
I&E Related Campus Events
A Shared Sacred Story for the Human Family: A Scholarly-Practitioner Panel
About the EventA Shared Sacred Story for the Human Family will explore the Our Shared Sacred Story project (Orbis Books, 2025) by examining the possibilities, challenges, and limitations of collaboratively retelling diverse religious narratives and wri...
Unnatural Causes (INT 100/201 approved)
Unnatural Causes is a documentary series that explores the effects of social factors on health and health care in the United States. It focuses specifically on race, socioeconomic standing, geography, and gender in its examination of well-being and lon...
Sacred Site Visit - Native American Burial Mounds (INT 100/201 approved)
Join the Kaufman Interfaith Institute and GVSUs Religious Studies Department as we visit different sacred sites around the greater Grand Rapids area over the course of the 2026-2027 academic year. Our September visit is to the Native American Burial Mo...
Women On the Wall
Learn about climbing and hang out in a fun and inviting space surrounded by women and anyone who identifies as female or non-binary. In addition to some rad climbing, we shoot to have a variety of snacks, music, etc. at each gathering! This recurring e...
Know Your Neighbor Interfaith Dinner - Religion & Relationships
Get to know your fellow Lakers from across different religious, secular, and spiritual identities and traditions over a free dinner and intentional conversation. This is a space of deep listening, connection, and dialogue - a chance to learn from the e...
