The Board of Regents of the University of Washington hereby reaffirms the University's long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on its campuses. This commitment was first enunciated by the Board at its meeting on June 13, 1975 ("Special Educational Opportunities for Minorities and Women"), was reasserted at its meeting on February 9, 1979 (Regent Policy No. 32, "Policy on Admission"), and then again at its meeting on January 16, 1998.
Now, as on earlier occasions, the Regents recognize the important place the University of Washington occupies as Washington's largest institution of higher education and as one of the world's leading public research universities. At the University of Washington, diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity, and justice for all.
The state of Washington has a compelling interest in making sure that the University is accessible to talented students, faculty, and staff from all social identities. The knowledge that the University of Washington is open to qualified students, faculty members, and staff from all groups, and thus serves all parts of the community equitably, helps to sustain the social fabric of the state.
University of Washington students, and the society they will serve and help to lead, require the very best education this institution can provide. Among the educational resources the University has to offer are a diverse student body, a diverse faculty, and a diverse staff. With the guidance and support of members of the faculty and the staff, students educate each other in the classroom and in many informal settings: they challenge one another's assumptions, they broaden one another's range of experience, and they teach one another to see the world from varied perspectives. Although the University seeks diversity of many kinds, the University particularly acknowledges the acute need to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of talented students, faculty members, and staff from underrepresented populations.
We therefore direct the President, the University administration, and the faculty to continue to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion on the University of Washington's campuses, in all ways consistent with the laws of the state of Washington and the federal government.
BR, January 16, 1998; September 13, 2018; [formerly numbered Regent Policy No. 11] July 11, 2019.