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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.

SOM’s mission to educate leaders for business and society urges us to engage with the problems afflicting our world—especially issues of discrimination, bias, and equity—in our pursuit of supporting the education of purpose-driven and inclusive business leaders.  

In order to fulfill this distinctive mission, we must be a community that achieves and celebrates diversity in our own ranks. We aspire to build and sustain a welcoming community in which unique perspectives are heard and valued—and all community members feel that they belong. 

The Office of Inclusion and Diversity is the centralized hub for advancing DEI at SOM.

SOM Student Government Representatives

DEI Plan

Kerwin Charles

“We seek to achieve inclusion and diversity in our community as an inseparable aspect of our mission of educating leaders for business and society—leaders who, working in all sectors and across all geographies, can improve the lives of those around them. We will be unrelenting in our efforts to weave this perspective into all our programs.”

Dean Kerwin K. Charles

Highlights

  • Created new courses focused on DEI topics, including a foundational elective on understanding and reducing bias.
  • Forty percent of academic cases created in 2023 had diverse protagonists or dealt with topics of inclusion and belonging.
  • The Donald H. Ogilvie ’78 Colloquium series brought distinguished leaders to campus for honest, purposeful dialogue.
  • The Artsy Fund installed “The Joy of Living: an exhibition by Clara Nartey” as part of the school’s effort to include more artwork with diverse views.
  • Eight Inclusive Growth Fellows started working with the City of New Haven on projects to increase economic growth in ways that benefit all city residents.
Yale Harkness Tower

In the fall of 2021, Yale President Peter Salovey announced nine actions at the university to enhance diversity, promote equity on campus, and foster an environment in which all community members feel welcome, included, and respected.

The initial commitments, which represent the next phase of the Belonging at Yale initiative, include a project to study Yale’s historical intersections with slavery, additional mentoring for new faculty, a new multidisciplinary Center for Law and Racial Justice, more funding for student financial aid, and a new program to encourage diversity in Yale’s senior leadership. In addition to creating a more equitable and welcoming Yale, these steps also aim to address racism and its long-term impacts.