Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

The Irving S. Gilmore School of Music continues to cultivate an inclusive, equitable and diverse space where all creative voices are valued and affirmed. We seek inquiry as to what is unique in our experiences with race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual identity, age, socio-economic status, religion/spirituality, political ideology, abilities and other personal identities. Through questioning our beliefs and understandings, we aim to cultivate the respect and empathy that underlie more meaningful collaboration, communication, connectivity and community. 

"In the post 2020 world, we are citizens of a new era with the devastating potential of creating and destroying. The great challenges before our species are all vast, aching, open questions, for which we do not have answers and for which we will not have anything like answers any time soon. When we are in this situation, we are called to honor and live the questions themselves." 

Adapted from "On Being with Krista Tippett" October 22, 2022

College of Fine Arts

More information on college-wide efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion can be found here.

Land Acknowledgment Statement

Land acknowledgment is a process by which individuals are prompted to consider the history of the space they currently inhabit.

We would like to recognize that Western Michigan University is located on lands historically occupied by Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi nations. Please take a moment to acknowledge and honor this ancestral land of the Three Fires Confederacy, the sacred lands of all indigenous peoples, and their continued presence.