The Office of Equity and Inclusion works across the institution to cultivate a climate of respect, dialogue, and collaboration, while driving university-wide culturally sustaining initiatives and equitable opportunities.

We warmly welcome all UMass Lowell undergraduate and graduate students, prospective students, families, alumni, and  community members.

We strive to engage, educate, and empower a campus community that continuously advances an inclusive learning environment while preparing our students for life and leadership in a diverse world. 

The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are embedded in all that we do and celebrated throughout the campus community in shared efforts. Our approach:

  • The division is grounded in a social justice and intersectional model that guides our daily work and strategic efforts. Our efforts are informed by a community lens that recognizes people need to be considered & viewed within their social & cultural contexts and that individuals do not show up with just one identity, but many.  Our intersecting social identities dynamically shape and inform how we interact with one another.  As such, the efforts of the division are anchored with a teaching and education philosophy in addressing interdependent systems of oppression and marginalization.

  • Our focus on equity supports the institutional commitment of a culture of care and justice as shared by the university’s Values Statement and the Framework of Inclusive Excellence & Action. The division seeks to set high standards of professional ethics and consistency in principles, expectations, and actions through integrity, open and honest communications, transparency, accepting responsibility for our words and actions, and committing to identify and eliminate barriers for our diverse students, faculty, and staff. By creating a community that fosters DEI and a sense of belonging, we hope to create a place where each member of the campus community can set a new bar for excellence and advocacy in these areas.

  • The division furthers the university’s commitment to student success by supporting student engagement and development as well as the recruitment, development, and retention of a reflective, student-centered faculty and staff who are prepared to meet the needs of our diverse students. Educational equity shapes educational practice and policies that encourage high levels of learning and personal development for marginalized and underrepresented students, student persistence, and student satisfaction.  The division partners with faculty, staff, and the community to educate and empower students from diverse communities and engage students in critical dialogue and programming related to campus climate and social justice.

  • UML’s success in advancing equity and inclusion is due, in part, to the long-standing diversity champions on campus, within the City of Lowell and the Commonwealth.  Institutional change is achieved through partnerships and collaborations within the university and across our external communities.  The division is committed to creating reciprocal and mutually beneficial efforts and initiatives to holistically support, elevate, and advance historically underserved communities.

Key Offices