About Our Office
The Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE) is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunity and to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment that enables everyone to flourish. In an effort to work toward inclusive excellence, ODECE provides consultation, resources, and support to advance and sustain inclusive environments for all faculty, staff, and students across the university in a number of ways:
University Climate: Through education, training, university-wide programming, climate surveys and a host of other activities, GW seeks to enhance the university environment with regard to inclusion, belonging and respect. In collaboration with university partners, ODECE conducts climate surveys. Annually ODECE hosts the Diversity Summit and serves on university committees.
Bias Support: ODECE supports members of the GW community who experience or witness bias related incidents through providing resources, access to formal reporting measures, and other restorative practices.
Compliance: ODECE oversees compliance with University policies and procedures and with federal, state, and local laws related to sexual and gender-based harassment and violence (Title IX) and disabilities resources and accommodations (ADA).
Faculty and Staff Diversity: ODECE supports academic and administrative units with their efforts to recruit talented faculty and staff in a merit-based, nondiscriminatory manner. The office provides training, resources, and assistance to search committees to develop candidate pools that include individuals who have thrived in different environments and would enrich the university with different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences and to support search practices that ensure the University is hiring the most qualified candidates.
Strategic Planning: Through a range of services and tools, ODECE supports deans, department chairs and university leaders with the development, implementation, and on-going assessment of inclusive excellence and action plans.
University Partnerships: ODECE collaborates with students, faculty, and staff across GW to design, implement, and promote programs and events related to inclusive excellence.
Our Offices
Disability Support Services (DSS)
DSS is responsible for institutional compliance with federal laws requiring equal access to education for individuals with disabilities. DSS handles a wide variety of accommodations and other auxiliary support services for the over 1100 students with disabilities at GW, including incoming undergraduates and those enrolled in post-graduate and professional school programs. DSS also works with students enrolled at the Arlington and Ashburn campuses, as well as those enrolled in distance education certificate and degree programs. In addition to providing services to students, DSS offers teaching support for faculty
Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service (Nashman Center)
The Honey W. Nashman Center is a University-wide office whose mission is to integrate civic engagement into George Washington University’s educational work. We promote equity and active citizenship in a diverse democracy, focus GW’s resources to address community needs through reciprocal partnerships beyond the campus, and enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship at GW. The Honey W. Nashman Center supports the diverse ways GW faculty and students contribute to the community, including direct service; community engagement through courses, practica, or research that create a public benefit; policy and governance; philanthropy; social innovation; and community organizing and activism.
Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC)
The MSSC is a home away from home for undergraduate and graduate students. The MSSC offers programming, support, basic needs, academic resources, and a space to build community for all students, allowing them to meet classmates with similar perspectives and backgrounds or to respectfully learn from people with perspectives and backgrounds that are different from their own.
Office of Access and Opportunity (OAO)
The newly created Office of Access and Opportunity (OAO) has oversight responsibility for the implementation and management of the university’s Equal Opportunity, Nondiscrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Non-Retaliation Policy and supporting procedures. OAO provides central complaint intake, review, and referral for informal and investigative processes to address reports of discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation. In collaboration with other university units, OAO aims to uphold and maintain a GW environment free from discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected characteristics, taking action to stop the conduct, prevent its recurrence, and remedy its effects.
Title IX Office
The Title IX Office provides resources and reporting options to students, faculty, and staff who have been impacted by sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking. The Title IX Office also offers prevention education training programs on how to create and maintain an inclusive educational and workplace environment.
For general questions, comments, or requests for more information, please call 202-994-7434 or email inclusion
gwu [dot] edu.