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Defining Inclusive Excellence and Beyond

American University is a leading student-centered research university where passionate learners, bold leaders, engaged scholars, innovators, and active citizens unleash the power of collaborative discovery. We partner with key organizations in the Washington, DC, region, and around the globe to better the human condition, learn from a vast array of experiences and internships, create meaningful change, and address society’s current and emerging challenges. 

Inclusive excellence is the recognition that an organization’s success is conditional on how well it engages, includes, and honors the rich diversity of its community members, including its students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and affiliates.   

Inclusive Excellence builds on the notions of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Inclusive Excellence and Definitions  

It is designed to help colleges and universities integrate diversity, equity, and educational quality efforts into their missions and institutional operations. It calls for higher education to address diversity, inclusion, and equity as critical to the well-being of democratic culture. It is an active process through which colleges and universities achieve excellence in learning, teaching, student development, institutional functioning, and engagement in local and global communities. – American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

Individual differences, (e.g., personality, prior knowledge, and life experiences), group and social differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, indigeneity, class, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, country of origin, and (dis)ability), historically underrepresented populations, and cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations – Adapted from the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity — in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect — in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions. – American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

The creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success and completion and increasing participation of employees. – American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

The IE mindset can also be understood in these ways: 

  1. Not only do we see differences, but we also embrace differences. We believe each unique person and experience contribute to our learning—whether you are in or out of a classroom.  

  2. We believe in having an array of different backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences, but having differences comes with the responsibility to ensure that everyone can fully participate, thrive, and lead at the University. Inclusion of all is a priority. 

  3. We also believe that we only do well as a university when every individual does well. We also recognize that not everyone feels included at the University and we have to work to change it.  

  4. We believe that we must act in ways that consider the experiences of all—even when they are not in the room and even when we don’t always understand them.