Diversity at Highland
At Highland Community College, we are grounded in the purpose of mutual respect, ethics, integrity, honesty, and shared responsibility. Our Mission is built around meeting the needs of our greater northwest Illinois community through quality educational and cultural programs. We provide a range of student support services that recognize and meet the educational goals of a diverse student population. Our faculty and staff are held accountable on our Core Values of integrity, compassion, and respect.
Diversity Committee
The mission of the Diversity Committee is to help lead the college community as change makers, highlighting every person’s creative and intellectual value by actively engaging in the charge to create a diverse, inclusive, and culturally competent community.
To work towards this mission, the committee will work towards the following goals:
Advocacy
- Advocate for diverse populations and their needs
- Advocate for college action in response to identified needs regarding equity and inclusivity
- Advocate for the recruitment and development of a more diverse workforce
Institutional/Program Assessment
- Identify and address institutional gaps related to the college climate
- Support inclusive and cross-disciplinary curricula
Programming/Development
- Support new and existing programming
- Support new and existing professional development
Resources
- Identify and provide resources that support increased awareness and understanding of diversity-related issues
- Collaborate with community partners
- Student Right-to-Know
Related Highland clubs and organizations:
- Black Student Alliance
- International Club
- Pride Club
- Women in Science
See also the Campus Calendar for diversity and inclusion campus events.
For more information, contact us at diversity@highland.edu.
Land Acknowledgment
Our institution acknowledges the Native Peoples who originally inhabited the land upon which Highland Community College and the Highland Community College district is located. This is the traditional territory of several groups of native or indigenous Americans.
We recognize a responsibility to acknowledge the historical context in which Highland exists. We are currently on the traditional lands of several Tribal Nations including the Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Peoria, Sauk and Meskwaki, Bodéwadmiakiwen (Potawatomi), Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), Miami, and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux). These peoples, along with other tribes before them, have stewarded this land at different times throughout history.
These lands were the traditional territory of Native Nations prior to their forced removal. The lands continue to carry the stories of the Nations and their struggles for survival and identity.
To learn more about territory acknowledgments and to find out more about the land you are on, visit the nonprofit website Native Land Digital. Also, check out these books by or about native and indigenous peoples from the Clarence Mitchell Library.