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Office of Outreach and Education

Students smile at graduation.

About Us

Vision Statement

As Washington State University becomes one of the nation’s leading land-grant research universities that models, for the state and nation, a community where every person, regardless of difference, is valued and included, the Office of Outreach and Education (formerly the Office of Equity and Diversity) is committed to becoming a department dedicated to recognizing diversity and inclusion as essential to achieving excellence.

Mission Statement

Essential to Washington State University’s public, land-grant tradition of service to society, the mission of the Office of Outreach and Education is to promote, create, and sustain an inclusive campus and community environment through education. The Office of Outreach and Education will achieve this by fostering collaborative partnerships, engaging cultural differences, promoting dialogue, advancing knowledge, and providing community spaces.

Context Statement

The Office of Outreach and Education at Washington State University (WSU) defines diversity as difference of identity and human experience including but not limited to: sex, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, ability/disability, sexual orientation, language, religion, spiritual practices, national origin, citizenship, socioeconomic status, and military status.

Throughout our nation’s history, certain social groups within these categories of difference have been marginalized within higher education. Overcoming these legacies of underrepresentation requires a commitment to cultivating an inclusive environment, with special attention to historically excluded social groups.

To maximize the educational benefits of a diverse campus community, institutions must foster inclusion, defined as the active engagement and learning across difference. The Office of Outreach and Education recognizes that this requires community building that engages multiple perspectives and voices. Thus, the Office seeks to provide enriching curricular and co-curricular opportunities that increase awareness, understanding, and knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Creating and sustaining an ethic of inclusion at WSU is a vital component to maintaining educational excellence and forwarding the Land-grant mission throughout our institution.

 Goals

  1. Education: Create and implement innovative educational programs that promote awareness of inequality, diversity, and inclusion by offering participants critical analytical skills necessary to understand systems of power, and the tools to create change.

  2. Resource: Serve as WSU’s leading diversity and social justice education resource by providing knowledge pertaining to training, professional development, research, and curriculum. 

  3. Partnerships: Build and sustain ongoing creative partnerships with students, faculty, staff, and community members at all WSU locations. 

  4. Spaces: Provide welcoming and supportive spaces for diverse groups, intercultural dialogue, and community building. 

  5. Stewardship: Maintain and promote the multicultural buildings located in the historic College Hill section of  Pullman as well as curate the collections of unique art, books, and cultural artifacts in the historic Culture and Heritage Houses and the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center.

  6. Fundraising: Cultivate philanthropic support and seek extramural funding to help support the vision, mission and goals of the Office of Outreach and Education.