Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our Values

The Writers' Workshop believes that art draws its meaning and power from the specificity and diversity of human experience. As a program, we strive to create a space of artistic excellence, and, for this reason, believe that we are only as good as the diverse community of artists we are able to nurture. Every year we read the manuscripts of and offer admission to some of the best writers in the country and across the world. Unsurprisingly and to our delight, the best writers always represent a wide range of races, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, gender identities, ethnicities, religious identities, and national origins. We acknowledge the potential for imbalances of power and continually strive to create a safe, supportive, inclusive space for our writers. Our belief in the power of diversity and inclusion underlies the decisions we make at the program and classroom levels.

We recognize that the University of Iowa was built on the lands of Native people including the Ojibwe/Anishinaabe (Chippewa), Báxoǰe (Iowa), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Omāēqnomenēwak (Menominee), Myaamiaki (Miami), Nutachi (Missouri), Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha), Wahzhazhe (Osage), Jiwere (Otoe), Odawaa (Ottawa), Póⁿka (Ponca), Bodéwadmi/Neshnabé (Potawatomi), Meskwaki/Nemahahaki/Sakiwaki (Sac and Fox), Dakota/Lakota/Nakoda, Sahnish/Nuxbaaga/Nuweta (Three Affiliated Tribes) and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nations. 

The Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa), Póⁿka (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), Meskwaki (Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa), and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) Nations continue to thrive in the State of Iowa and we continue to acknowledge them.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fundamental to the mission of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa, as we conduct our work in the context of the whole of humanity.

  • In our teaching, we draw on, explore, and question every facet of human experience and understanding.
  • In our scholarship, scientific inquiry, and artistry, we create new knowledge and insight, reflecting and shaping the cultures and societies in which human lives unfold.
  • In our service to Iowans, we collaborate with communities to solve critical problems arising from inequity.

DEI values are inseparable from those of the liberal arts tradition. To fully realize our college’s critical mission of advancing human understanding within that tradition, we must actualize these values in every aspect of our decision-making and every area of our academic community.