Mission

The Office of Inclusive Excellence Education & Development (OIEED) promotes self-awareness and critical consciousness through education and development initiatives that support skill-building efforts, leading to greater levels of inclusion on campus.

OIEED focuses on two areas:

  • Faculty, Staff and students personal and professional development, with an emphasis on Inclusive Excellence core constructs
  • Bias education, response and prevention processes for the campus community

Through interactive workshops, educational development, and exposure & access to resources, OIEED seeks to:

  1. Expand one’s critical consciousness (moving from awareness to equitable action) concepts related to inclusive excellence, belonging, and well-being.
  2. Encourage individuals to think deeply and engage in dialogue that help them better understand themselves and the perspectives, experiences, and actions of others.
  3. Help people develop and practice skills to recognize and challenge identity-based bias, so they can build positive relationships with others from different backgrounds.

Operating Terms

In addition to terms and definitions that offer guidance to the Elon community as we strive for inclusive excellence, OIEED uses the following terms and definitions to inform working toward its mission.

  1. Critical Consciousness – Critical consciousness means understanding that unfair systems exist in society, recognizing how they shape our identities and experiences [at Elon], and learning how to take action to make things fairer for everyone.
  2. Education – the process of increasing knowledge and understanding of concepts, theories, histories, and relationships related to equity and inclusion.
  3. Development – the process of further supporting Elon Faculty and Staff to cultivate a sense of belonging.