Diverse students stand and smile in a group

Diversity

Laney Statement on Diversity

Diversity and community are of highest priority to Emory University and the Laney Graduate School. Diversity and community are fundamental to our commitment to graduate education that provides students with deep expertise in their chosen fields, creativity to cross disciplinary boundaries, and courage to take on the most important and complex problems of our time.

We strive to create and strengthen an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually challenging environment that embraces individual difference. We are committed to proactively cultivating and sustaining an academic community that engages diverse intellectual capacity and that values open dialogue, cooperation, shared responsibility, mutual respect, and cultural competence — the driving forces that enrich and enhance innovative research and scholarship.

To promote diversity and a community of inclusiveness, the EDGE initiative was established. EDGE’s goal is to aid Laney Graduate School in the increased exposure, admission, enrollment, successful matriculation and graduation of diverse scholars. EDGE will facilitate the discussion of the educational benefits of diversity within a program or the University as a whole, based on their racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic or experiential background and/or gender, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. The purpose of the EDGE Initiative is to promote and engage graduate diversity at Emory. The initiative is achieved using a three-themed schematic that is interconnected and interdependent: Community, Programming, and Recruitment.

Key EDGE Initiatives: EDGE and its fellows and ambassadors are responsible for maintaining and sustaining initiatives focused on diversity. Many of the initiatives surround topics of:

Enriching Community
Developing Outreach Partnerships and Affiliations
Creating an Inclusive Campus
Recruiting Excellent Students from Diverse Backgrounds

EDGE offers several opportunities for engagement:

An Annual Diversity Reception
Black Graduate Student Association
Latino Graduate Student Association
Out in Laney
Forum series on mentoring for success graduate student retention, faculty diversity, and social justice as an academic
NIH-Funded Emory Initiative for Maximizing Student Development
Laney's Centennial Scholars

Along with Other Affinity Groups such as:

Women in STEM
Diverse Scholars in STEM
Women in Humanities and Social Sciences
Diverse Scholars in Humanities and Social Sciences
1st Generation Scholars
Scholars 500+ Miles Away from Home

Laney Commitment to Equity and Inclusiveness

The Laney Graduate School is dedicated to fostering diverse and inclusive excellence. LGS aims for an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually challenging environment that embraces individual differences. We are an academic community that engages diverse intellectual capacity and that values open dialogue, cooperation, shared responsibility, mutual respect, cultural competence, openness, and understanding. We consistently practice sharing our experiences, listening carefully to others, and debating ideas in civil, generous, and constructive ways. However, there are times when the actions and behaviors of community members impact others negatively. The Bias Incident Reporting Structure was established to provide a space for our community members to alert Campus Life to incidents that demonstrate bias.

LGS values open expression and vigorous debate in the context of civility and mutual respect for diverse individuals and communities. However, we are deeply aware of the direct impact a bias incident might have on our ability to know, trust, support, and learn from each other. Therefore, we encourage all members of the LGS community to use this mechanism for bias reporting.

Bias incidents include, but are not limited to, name-calling, stereotyping, belittling, or excluding others based on their identities. Some, but not all, bias incidents may rise to the level of discriminatory harassment, sexual misconduct, or other violations of policy or law.

Please follow this link to the University’s Bias Incident Reporting Page in Campus Life. Please note this reporting can be anonymous. Campus Life Leadership will contact LGS Senior Leadership if additional information is needed.

Alternatively, if this mechanism does not seem appropriate for you or if you have any questions or concerns, please consider contacting LGS Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement, Amanda Marie James, for additional guidance.

For more information contact:

LGS-EDGE
laney.edge@emory.edu
404-727-3030

EU Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
oei@emory.edu
404-727-9867

Statement on Diversity and Admissions

The Laney Graduate School's commitment to diversity and inclusion is unwavering.

You can read Dean Kimberly Jacob Arriola's statement here.

Select Major Religious Observances

Members of the Emory community observe many diverse religious holidays. Please use this calendar (pdf) as a reference when planning events, major academic milestones, and other activities - please note, this is not an inclusive list.

By considering and respecting major religious observances, we create a more inclusive and supportive community. You can review the University's Religious Accommodation Policy (10.17) - if you have questions or need consultation, email religiouslife@emory.edu.