Diversity and Inclusion
At the University of Maryland College of Education, we are committed to fostering an inclusive community where the identities of our students, faculty, staff and alums are valued and respected. Diversity is not just a priority—it is woven into every aspect of our college, from our research and pedagogy to our recruitment and hiring practices. We actively work to create a college environment that encourages positive interactions, promotes equity and ensures access to resources and opportunities for all.
Explore our diversity efforts and the resources available:
Diversity Statement
The College of Education at the University of Maryland College Park values the identities of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We seek opportunities to provide development in the facilitation of positive interactions among our college and campus community. We support broader campus efforts that affirm equity-centered practices and value diversity in our recruitment and hiring.
The College of Education remains committed to recognizing and promoting research and innovative pedagogy that highlights dimensions of diversity. Annually, we review the portfolio of courses open to all students on a variety of topics, including human development, counseling, equitable schooling, education policy, immigration, English learners, exceptional learners, and international education. As a leading learning institution, we pursue shared goals to create an intellectually diverse academic environment.
The College of Education will consistently strive to reduce any barriers that exist across race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, dialect, health, veteran status, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and geographic regions. We welcome the contributions of groups and individuals locally and globally. We aim to ensure equitable access to our facilities, resources, and services. We endeavor to engage and develop all of our stakeholders. Our College seeks to create a robustly inclusive and inviting community.
College of Education Council on Racial Equity and Justice (COREJ)
The mission of the Council on Racial Equity and Justice (pronounced COURAGE) is to elevate research and amplify faculty, staff and student voices on matters of structural and systemic racism, white supremacy, anti-Blackness and the intersecting issues of oppression and power within the College of Education (COE). Members serve as advisors, liaisons, and data gatherers to provide the Dean of COE with recommendations on how to move forward with racial equity and justice initiatives, policies, and practices. Central to the mission of COREJ is having representation from all departments, faculty, staff, and students at all levels. The COE’s values of impact, excellence, diversity, inclusion, innovation, social justice, collaboration and community will undergird the work of the council.
Council Member Responsibilities
- Operate from a set of principles that are derived collaboratively with other council members
- Develop an assessment (e.g. equity audit) to research what is being done in each department around racial equity and justice
- Design a comprehensive plan for COE in addressing inequities, clearly identifying markers of progress, and accountability
- Draft a vision for COE to advance racial equity and justice efforts based on data gathered
- Partner with the COE Senate, COE Faculty of Color, APT Committees, and other COE groups to advance racial equity, and justice goals
| In June 2020, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion launched a Week of Solidarity and Reflection following the spate of police killings of African Americans and the national protests drawing attention to longstanding racial inequities in the U.S. #UMDSolidarity events have been organized to express and listen to the pain, frustration, grief and more that many in our communities are now feeling. Next week will be a Week of Action, in hopes to engage in more community-building, truth-telling and action-planning for UMD. For updates and information on how you can be a part of #UMDSolidarity visit go.umd.edu/UMDSolidarity. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our five-year strategic plan, Transforming Education, Transforming Lives, outlines our mission and vision, as well as our values, which include:
Innovation for transformation: We engage in bold, rigorous work to improve how we understand challenges, ask questions, reimagine solutions and take action.
Justice and equity: We honor the dignity and humanity of every person and act to address systemic injustice and promote our collective well-being.
Collaboration with care: We cultivate and sustain relationships grounded in trust, reciprocity and respect.
Meet Our Diversity Officer
Mary Taylor-Lewis will be responsible for developing and enhancing DEI initiatives across the college and creating new systems and processes to help integrate inclusion, equity and justice into our work and culture. Mary brings more than nine years of experience in designing institutional policies, cultivating relationships and developing and evaluating high-impact programming. For more information about Mary, please go to: https://education.umd.edu/directory/mary-taylor-lewis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Meet our ADVANCE Professor
Dr. Jennifer Danridge Turner is Associate Professor in Reading Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Literacy from Michigan State University. Dr. Turner’s scholarship centers on two interrelated domains: a) Black youth futures, which amplifies the dreams (e.g., career aspirations, life goals, societal transformations) that Black youth determine for themselves despite societal barriers, structural inequalities, and personal obstacles; and (2) equity pedagogies, or literacy instructional approaches that celebrate Black youths' cultural knowledges and racialized identities while cultivating their freedom dreams/dreaming. For more information about Dr. Turner, please go to: https://education.umd.edu/directory/jennifer-d-turner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please contact the individuals listed on the websites above for details. The scholarships and fellowships above are from organizations outside of the University of Maryland College Park. While the University is not responsible for funding these opportunities, please go to https://education.umd.edu/admissions/funding-scholarships for UMD scholarships.
Every community owes its existence and strength to the generations before them, around the world, who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy into making the history that led to this moment.
Truth and acknowledgement are critical in building mutual respect and connections across all barriers of heritage and difference.
So, we acknowledge the truth that is often buried: We are on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway People, who are the ancestral stewards of this sacred land. It is their historical responsibility to advocate for the four-legged, the winged, those that crawl and those that swim. They remind us that clean air and pristine waterways are essential to all life.
This Land Acknowledgement is a vocal reminder for each of us as two-leggeds to ensure our physical environment is in better condition than what we inherited, for the health and prosperity of future generations.
The COE Bias Incident Response Team aids students,faculty, and staff who experienced or witnessed an incident of hate/bias, harassment, and/or discrimination.Our aim is to create a support system with a clear set of options that empowers the individual experiencing harm to choose their own path to healing,reconciliation, and reparations.
Bias Incident Response Team.pdf
