"Inclusive Excellence" was the focus of Faculty Development Day, which took place on Friday, Oct. 29. Lawrence Burnley, assistant vice president for intercultural relations, in cooperation with the Faculty Executive Committee, introduced the Inclusive Excellence concept to faculty, and invites Whitworth staff to consider the concept’s utility in assisting Whitworth in achieving its goals and objectives related to intercultural relations and diversity.
For Faculty Development Day, Burnley invited Jeffrey F. Milem, Ph.D., to present this research-based concept. Milem, the Ernest W. McFarland Distinguished Professor in Leadership for Education Policy and Reform in the College of Education at the University of Arizona, is one of several scholars who contributed to the Making Excellence Inclusive Study, which posits that institutional commitment to diversity, when appropriately leveraged, has potential for positive learning outcomes for all students at Whitworth. Rather than simply recruiting underrepresented populations to become students, faculty and staff at Whitworth, Inclusive Excellence recommends a multi-dimensional approach in order for students, faculty, and staff to fully benefit from living and learning in a diverse community.
With the introduction of Inclusive Excellence, Burnley says, “It is our intention to engage our community in a courageous, critical, reflective and prayerful process to discern its utility in advancing Whitworth’s mission to honor God, follow Christ, and serve humanity in our teaching, recruiting, and in various contexts of local, regional, national and global engagement.”
The Inclusive Excellence concept will play a significant role in the strategic planning and implementation of goals related to intercultural relations and diversity at Whitworth. According to Burnley, it’s important we understand that “Inclusive Excellence has no value, and no utility for Whitworth, unless it strengthens our efforts to respond authentically and faithfully to God’s call upon us as individuals and as an institution with excellence.”
