This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases challenging race-conscious admissions policies (SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC) that could affect Miami University’s holistic application review process. A decision in these cases is expected in early summer 2023, at which time the university will assess the impact of the court’s ruling on our admission practices. 

Miami University remains steadfastly committed to inclusive excellence, fully embracing the philosophy and belief that a diverse academic community is among an institution's greatest strengths. 

Miami University will continue to cultivate a diverse and inclusive environment that enhances the living, learning, and working environment for every student, staff, and faculty member, beginning with recruiting the next generation of Miamians. We are committed to ensuring that every student thrives and has a sense of belonging. Miami offers a range of programs that reflect our commitment to diversity, including the award-winning Bridges Program, our virtual Wiicinaakosioni Program, and the Day of Champions, all designed for students who can contribute to and/or embrace diversity, broadly defined. 

In the past two years, Miami has completed 92 percent of the 44 recommendations made by the President’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. The recommendations touch on multiple areas across campus, including revisions to the curriculum which now includes a 12-credit component that includes diversity, equity, and inclusion, intercultural consciousness, and global inquiry. As part of the commitment to inclusive excellence, Miami has recently: 

• Created three new DEI leadership councils (academic units, divisions, and students) to ensure broad-based communication and coordination across units on DEI initiatives and planning.
• Implemented a new diversity statement requirement for faculty candidates starting in September 2021 and revised search committee training focusing on implicit bias, strategies for addressing biases, and evaluation of diversity statements. To complement these efforts, OIDI is developing an Inclusive Faculty Recruitment Toolkit to further strengthen recruitment and retention efforts.
• Supplemented these structural and capacity-building efforts with workshops on diversity statements for students preparing to enter the job market.
• Launched a new anti-racism workshop for faculty, staff, and students.
• Created a new religious observances and inclusive scheduling webpage and narrative calendar to complement the Academic Affairs calendar, by providing guidance to help avoid scheduling important events, activities, and deadlines on holidays observed by members of the Miami community.
• Launched comprehensive heritage month programming this past year geared to students, faculty, and staff, and created new social media accounts to spread the word about programming and initiatives.
• Developed and launched an award-winning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Online Course, developed by OIDI in partnership with the President’s Office, which includes modules by faculty specializing in DEI topics.