Lake Michigan College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is based upon our mission to empower people and communities to thrive through education, innovation, and experiences and to promote academic excellence, student success, and community impact. The College commits to lead by example in the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion through intentional actions taken to ensure their alignment with the College’s mission and guiding principles. 

The College endeavors to focus on acclimating our behaviors to accept and learn from the diverse perspectives of faculty, staff, students, partners, and community members. The College recognizes that society has created advantages for certain groups and not for others; yet we strive to make modifications to adapt the manner in which we make decisions that will impact marginalized or disadvantaged groups in inadvertent ways.  In doing so, the College welcomes the many differences that exist among the groups we serve, including race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, abilities, age, religion, and more. The College’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion adds value to our mission and guiding principles, and makes us stronger as educators and stewards of the community. 

RETURN TO DEI PAGE >>

Lake Michigan College will endeavor to deliver on our mission with a focus on its guiding principles and through a diverse and culturally competent workforce that provides effective services to persons of all cultures and backgrounds. The College believes the mission will be achieved when all individuals who contribute to it are able to: 

• Hold each other accountable to adapt their behaviors and thinking to recognize and accept the differences that exist across the varied life experiences that each person brings  
• Challenge each other to grow in cultural awareness and recognize their own social groups and biases 
• Approach intercultural conflict and address insensitive behaviors accordingly 
• Develop and implement policies and procedures that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion 
• Access quality resources and opportunities that advance professional development 
• Communicate with respect toward others as we serve individuals inside and outside the College 

These guiding principles support the College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the three pillars of the College’s mission below: 

Through Academic Excellence: 

• The cultural experience of those served will be respected, valued, and integrated in meeting their needs 
• The diversity of those served will be considered in improving the effectiveness of the entire College 
• The College reviews the situations and circumstances of those who lack access or are from new, different, or underserved groups, and make improvements to service delivery and also to inform system change 
• The College accepts the importance to invest time and work to collaborate with the students we serve  

Through Student Success: 

• The cultural experiences of students are respected, valued, and leveraged in providing responsive, innovative, and effective service to guide toward success 
• Students are respectful to each other and understand that harassment, discrimination, racism, and oppression are not accepted in the College 
• The College services as a reliable partner with students to achieve success initiatives 
• The College understands the necessity of recognizing the importance of student needs to feeling seen, feeling heard, and thinking differently 
• The College actively seeks to refine access issues for students to accommodate student success 

Through Community Impact: 

• The College recognizes its place in the diverse fabric of the community and will engage the community  
• The College shares with the larger community its progress related to internal diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competency efforts 
• The College uses its influences and resources to visibly promote and support diversity, equity, and inclusion 
• The College uses its position and resources to speak out against overt and systematic racism and oppression 
• The College accepts the importance to invest time and work to collaborate with the local leaders to honor the wisdom within every community 

Through Employee Impact: 

• The College commits to regularly review employment policies and practices to determine where inequities may exist and finds ways to create practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, while maintaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations 
• Employees are respectful to each other and understand that harassment, discrimination, racism, and oppression are not accepted in the workplace 
• Employees of all backgrounds have access, leadership support, and opportunity for growth and advancement 
• Faculty and staff reflect the demographics of the service area that the College serves 
• Faculty and staff have opportunities for professional development regarding topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion to help them feel comfortable in the expression of their own culture as well as other cultures. 

Lake Michigan College’s leadership, specifically its Board of Trustees, its President, and its Executive Cabinet, hereby pledge that the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion will always remain as key values within the College’s organizational structure and within the College’s decision-making authority.  

RETURN TO DEI PAGE >>