About Our Office
The Office for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement (ODECE) provides leadership, resources, and support to advance and sustain inclusive environments for our faculty, staff, and students across the university. ODECE supports the GW community’s diversity and inclusion efforts in a number of ways:
Campus Climate: Through education, training, guest speakers, climate surveys and a host of other activities, GW seeks to enhance the campus environment with regard to access, equity, inclusion and respect. Annually, the office conducts climate surveys and a university-wide Diversity Summit, provides grants to students, faculty, staff and departments for innovative initiatives in diversity and inclusion (IDI grants), and chairs special working committees such as Developing Inclusive Classrooms and Sexual Assault Prevention and Training.
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 a diverse faculty and staff. The office provides training, resources, and assistance to search committees to develop candidate pools and search practices for fair and equitable outcomes
Diversity Planning: Through a range of services and tools, ODECE supports deans and department chairs with the development, implementation and on-going assessment of diversity plans.
Campus Partnerships: ODECE collaborates with offices across GW to design, implement and promote programs and events related to diversity recruitment and retention, students with disabilities, working with community partners, developing safe spaces and preventing unwelcomed conduct and behavior.
Our Units
The Disability Support Services (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.
The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service (Nashman Center) is a University-wide resource with a mission to integrate civic engagement into George Washington University’s educational work and as a key component of the diversity strategy. By focusing GW’s resources to meet community needs beyond the campus, the Center promotes active citizenship in a diverse democracy, helps recruit and retain a diverse student body and faculty, and enhances teaching, learning and scholarship at GW. The Nashman Center staff offers resources and support to faculty and student leaders looking to incorporate community engaged-scholarship into their courses, activities, and programs.
The Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC) supports students from underrepresented groups and provides educational programs, cultural heritage celebrations and other activities and services that support an inclusive campus community. The MSSC is home to a number of student communities including Asian and Pacific Islanders, Black/African-Americans, Latinx, Native Americans, South Asians, religious/faith groups, and LGBTQIA. These communities help to foster a campus climate of mutual understanding and respect for cultural, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. The MSSC develops and conducts programming with campus partners and student organizations during orientation, welcome week, academic year, graduation and transition to alumni stages.
The Title IX Office provides resources, training, and reporting options to students, faculty, and staff to address concerns related to sexual harassment and sexual violence prohibited by both Title IX and related university policies. GW is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination on the basis of sex (gender), including sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, relationship (dating and domestic) violence, and stalking. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (gender) in educational programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
For general questions, comments, or requests for more information, please call 202-994-7434 or email [email protected].