Inclusive Excellence Week - Basic Page

How do we envision and create a global future that centers on diversity, equity, and inclusion? The Elliott School learned with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) during the fourth annual Inclusive Excellence Week, January 29 - February 1, 2024.

Elliott invited students, faculty, and staff to participate in four days of intentional programming, panels, workshops, and community spaces focused on the intersections of diversity, equity, inclusion, and international affairs.

Last academic year’s conference theme was Can We Talk?: The Global Language of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) take several shapes, meanings, and forms worldwide, and their conceptualization is intrinsically tied to a country’s or ethnic group’s history, traditions, culture, and beliefs. For this reason, the Elliott School’s ODEI decided to highlight the myriad of ways in which different countries and cultures observe, practice, and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion.

About the Program

What is Inclusive Excellence (IE)?

Inclusive excellence is the alignment of policies, processes, and practices to ensure the Elliott School has:

• access and equity in all we do and for all members of our community
• inclusive learning and development
• a curriculum that is diverse, inclusive, relevant; and
• a climate where everyone feels they are not only included but belong

The Elliott School’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion developed the Action Plan for Inclusive Excellence in alignment with the IE framework, and to continue building on this model, each session of Inclusive Excellence Week will relate to one of the following goals:

• Access and Equity: The compositional number and success levels of historically underrepresented students, faculty, and staff in higher education.
• Diversity in the Formal & Informal Curriculum: Diversity content in the courses, programs, and experiences across the various academic programs and the social dimensions of the campus environment.
• Learning and Development: The acquisition of content knowledge about diverse groups and cultures and the development of cognitive complexity.
• Campus Climate: The development of a psychological and behavioral climate supportive of all.

Williams, D. A., Berger, J. B., & McClendon, S. A. (2005). Toward a model of inclusive excellence and change in postsecondary institutions. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Program Learning Outcomes

Each session meets one or more of the following outcomes. Participants will be able to:

• Increase their personal, professional, and community commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Celebrate diversity and the efforts to advance equity
• Establish a sense of community with Elliott School students, faculty, staff, and alumni
• Identify connections and the value of Inclusive Excellence in international affairs
• Apply their gained skills and knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion into their academic and professional journeys
• Increase cultural competence in the Elliott School community
  

Keynote Speaker, Spring 2024

 

Amb. (ret.) Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, BA '80 // President, Middle East Policy Council

Opening Keynote Speaker, Elliott School’s 2024 I.E. Week

Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, a 30-year diplomat, was the longest-serving U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta. Through a series of senior positions that included advising the Commander of U.S. cyber forces on our foreign policy priorities, expanding our counterterrorism partners and programs as Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and coordinating the largest evacuation of American citizens from a war zone since WWll, her professional life has played out almost daily in international media. From 2021-2023, Amb. Abercrombie-Winstanley served as the first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the U.S. Department of State. In July 2023, she was appointed president of the Middle East Policy Council. Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley received a B.A. in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs and an M.A. in Security Studies and Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

 Hear More From Ms. Abercrombie-Winstanley: