Diversity and Inclusiveness at MHC

At Mount Holyoke College we don’t just talk about diversity. We live it. As an institution, we embrace our mission “to educate a diverse community of women at the highest level of academic excellence.” Faculty, staff, and students are committed to an inclusive approach that supports, educates, and nurtures the identity differences of everyone in our community.

With students from 48 states and nearly 70 countries, ours is a truly multicultural community. Twenty percent of MHC students are international citizens, and 28 percent of domestic students identify as African American, Asian American, Latina, Native American, or multiracial. Mount Holyoke’s faculty and staff speak more than 50 languages. In all disciplines, you’ll find courses that incorporate a diversity of perspectives. The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives complements these offerings with programs that weave engagement with a global world into campus life.

As a community, Mount Holyoke recognizes that diversity enhances our lives while helping us understand more fully the socio-political world in which we live and preparing us to seek global, environmental solutions and social justice. Mount Holyoke has become a national leader in creating and sustaining diversity because we value inclusiveness. Inclusiveness for us is active engagement in recognizing and supporting group and individual differences including race, ethnicity, economic class, sexual orientation, gender, physical ableism, learning style, religion, and political affiliation.

Students can choose to participate in a range of student-run organizations that explore world cultures and traditions, political ideologies and activism, religions, the lesbian gay bisexual transgender community, and a host of other interests. In addition, Mount Holyoke hosts five cultural centers, as well as a Japanese teahouse and meditation garden. Eliot House, the College’s home for religious and spiritual activity, actively supports nine different faith groups and serves as a base for others.

For a deeper look at these issues, see the Community Report on Diversity and Inclusiveness.