Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion fund are core values of the College of LAS. As the home to campus units focused on DEI—African American Studies, American Indian Studies, Asian American Studies, Gender & Women's Studies, and Latina/Latino Studies—and geographically positioned to connect to rural and urban communities, LAS has the opportunity to be a national leader in these efforts.

The LAS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Fund provides units throughout the college with comprehensive educational, research, and public support/engagement that brings together all our ethnic studies units and amplifies overarching diversity efforts.

The College of LAS strives to make a college education accessible to all through our academic support programs, such as our innovative Access and Achievement Program. However, we recognize there are gaps in this accessibility; support for living expenses and co-curricular expenses of underrepresented minority students would allow them to thrive once they are on campus and have the college experience they deserve.

The LAS Undergraduate Diversity Fund helps the College of LAS attract, retain, and support a diverse student population, which is paramount to our mission as a land-grant institution.

Illinois stands out from our peers in training successful graduate students in studies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our graduate students have high levels of involvement in areas related to DEI and consequently receive good job placement after their time here. Support of our graduate students helps enable them to complete their degrees while receiving funding to support essentials such as food security and housing.

The LAS Graduate Diversity Fund helps the College of LAS provide equitable representation at the graduate student level in LAS, further advancing our mission and academic priorities.

The College of LAS has the most diverse faculty of any college on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Our faculty are engaged in the community and preform important research on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

The LAS Faculty Diversity Fund helps recruit and retain diverse faculty, ensuring the completion of vital research as well as increasing equitable representation among faculty.

The College of LAS believes strongly in the value of diversity, community, academic scholarship, and excellence, as well as educational and professional mentorship. These fundamental tenets are embedded in our Access and Achievement Program.

The Access and Achievement Program Annual Fund helps us support diverse students involved in the program.