Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at SAIC

SAIC is committed to an equitable, just environment where the voices of all students, faculty, and staff are valued and respected.

The School’s primary purpose is to cultivate a campus designed to encourage the discovery and development of significant ideas and images. The School is committed to assembling a diverse community of faculty, students, and staff and to nurturing and creating an environment in which those different perspectives and backgrounds can be heard, valued, and utilized. ––Diversity Mission Statement
 

Support & Resources

Academic Affairs

Efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the curriculum and throughout the teaching and learning experience are managed by the Director of DEI for Academic Affairs, who works with faculty, staff, and students throughout the School to offer programs, workshops, and opportunities to encourage dialogue, expand knowledge, and promote belonging in all academic settings.

The cultural oasis room filled with students

Multicultural Affairs

The Office of Multicultural Affairs provides programming, support services, and advocacy for the SAIC student body, with a particular focus on underrepresented communities. The Multicultural Affairs page includes information on affinity student groups, current and past events, and resources for students, faculty, and staff.

A group of SAIC students exuberantly pose at the bottom of a staircase.

International Affairs

The Office of International Affairs houses both International Student Services, providing advising and resources to our international student population, and Study Abroad/Off-Campus, assisting students in pursuing wide-ranging educational experiences outside Chicago.

Sign hangs on wall reading “Wellness Center”.

Wellness Center

The Wellness Center supports students of all cultural backgrounds who are struggling with physical or emotional needs during their education. The Wellness Center provides support to students through three distinct services: Counseling Services, the Disability and Learning Resource Center, and Health Services.

An image of two people observing an orange paper cut out piece of art with a soft white light.

Fall BFA Show 2018

Disability & Learning Resource Center

The mission of the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) is to support a universally accessible educational community that fosters full participation and contribution of every member. The DLRC carries out its mission by delivering innovative and high-quality services to SAIC students with disabilities and by facilitating and advocating for reasonable accommodations so that students have equal access to all programs, activities, and services of the institution.

 A person reading in a bright blue chair with a large bookshelf behind them.

John M. Flaxman Library & Special Collections

The John M. Flaxman Library engages with our community members in deep ways, allowing them to be effective scholars, critical users, and creators of information, applying their knowledge to their artistic, academic, and lifelong endeavors. Integrating and embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential to this work. Our current efforts include creating inclusive and equitable, intellectual and physical workspaces for student, faculty, and staff learning, growing our collections to include diverse voices within art and design, and collaborating on DEI workshops. The library aims to utilize frameworks such as the Inclusive Pedagogy Framework, to help us to consider our choices around both the content we teach and the means through which we deliver it.

A large pile of multicolored confetti made of stone on the floor.

Yiwei Leo Wang, "Confetti," 2023, stoneware

Korean Student Advising and Chinese Student Liaison

SAIC's Korean Student Advisor and Chinese Student Liaison assist students in adjusting to campus and the US culture by building a supportive community, identifying personal and emotional concerns of students, and providing appropriate resources and referrals. They collaborate closely with academics and student services departments to provide support and assistance to students. They act as liaisons between SAIC personnel and students on a range of issues, such as assisting students in communicating their needs, questions, and concerns. They also serve as staff advisors to student groups, e.g., Korean Student Association and Chinese Students and Scholars Association, creating a mentorship network of upper-class students who can assist new students in their adjustments to SAIC. They work closely with staff in the residence halls and the Nuveen Center for International Student Learning to provide cultural, educational, and social programming in the residence halls. Special programs offered at the Korean Cultural Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival in the beginning of Fall semester and the Lunar New Year Celebration in the beginning of Spring semester.