Diversity

It has always been fundamental to the College's understanding of diversity that this is a complex subject, encompassing myriad ways that humans are different from one another. The College recognizes that there are many kinds of diversity including not only race and ethnicity, but also myriad other ways of bringing together different experiences and viewpoints, among them such matters as the important diversity of political viewpoints, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, countries of origin, and languages spoken in the home.

Sweet Briar's strategic plan of 1987 affirmed the importance of diversity, and revised its mission statement accordingly. In 1997, at the outset of another strategic planning exercise, the planning committee adopted unanimously "The Natural Bridge Vision Statement" that contained a vision of Sweet Briar as "a diverse community that includes and values many cultures and perspectives." This intention was carried into the strategic plan of 1999, "Building Sweet Briar's Second Century."

In February 2008, the campus and Board of Directors reviewed its progress, and recommitted to this important value, developing goals and action steps to enhance diversity within the faculty, staff, student body, and Board of Directors, which will review progress from all segments of the campus community annually.