Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at West Virginia University

Defining Our Terms

What is diversity? What is inclusion? We’re here for meaningful conversations, so let’s start by defining some of the terms we use.

See definitions

We Recommend

The world is awash with books, podcasts, music and more that help move the conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion forward. Check out some of our current staff recommendations.

See recommendations

Implicit Bias

Have you checked your implicit biases? (We all have them.) Take a few moments to explore the Harvard Implicit Bias Test.

Take the test

Know Your Rights

Knowing what resources are available on- and off-campus gives you the tools you need to help yourself and others who have experienced gender-based discrimination, including sexual violence, power-based personal violence and harassment. WVU has a zero-tolerance policy for these types of offenses and is pro-actively working to make them rare; but it’s on us as a Mountaineer family to help one another wherever and whenever we can.

Learn more

WVU Career Services maintains a list of internship and job opportunities. Check out their resource via Handshake.

Join the West Virginia University team - check out the current career opportunities at WVU, an EEO/Affirmative Action employer.

Diversity Ambassador

Emily Donley

Biochemistry

Emily Donley (she/her) is a Biochemistry major with minors in Theatre and Psychology. She chose to be a Diversity Ambassador because she wants to help the West Virginia University student body learn how to support one another and celebrate their differences. She hopes to teach others about the different types of diversity and respect based on differences. She plans to go to medical school and become a doctor and wants to make the medical field more inclusive, especially for the LGBTQ community.

Become a Diversity Ambassador: Emily Donley

We Are One WVU

At WVU we celebrate that we’re made up of Mountaineers from all walks of life.

West Virginia University will be known for honoring the worth of every individual, and sustaining an environment where all people are encouraged to achieve their full potential.

WVU Native American Studies Land Acknowledgement

West Virginia University, with its statewide institutional presence, resides on land that includes ancestral lands of the Shawnee, Cherokee, Lenape (also called Delaware), the Haudenosaunee (or Iroquois) Nations: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Tuscarora), and many other Indigenous peoples over time.

In acknowledging this, we recognize and appreciate those Indigenous nations whose lands we are living on and working in. Indigenous peoples have been in the land currently known as West Virginia since time immemorial.

It is important that we understand both the context that has brought our university community to reside on this land, and our place within this long history.

(Developed Fall 2019 w/input from NAS Committee members, especially Dr. Charlotte Hoelke, and after NAS Program consultation with tribes, to be read at public events and included on websites, in syllabi, and shared with others. This acknowledgment should be considered a dynamic statement, modified when needed to be as inclusive, relevant, and accurate as possible. Bonnie M. Brown, NAS Coord.)

We are pleased to share this video version of this land acknowledgement.

Thank you to Bonnie M. Brown and the Native American Studies Program, Bob Pirner for voicing the statement, and Kelly Heasley in University Relations for her aerial video and production.

Soundtrack4Justice

A Soundtrack4Justice playlist can fuel you and/or can serve as a conversation starter with family and friends. Here’s ours on Spotify.

Check us out on Spotify. View past soundtracks.

West Virginia University is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture by promoting diversity, inclusion, equality, and intercultural and intercommunity outreach. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, pregnancy, veteran status, service in the uniformed services (as defined by state and federal law), religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or gender expression in the administration of any of its educational programs, activities, or with respect to admission or employment.

– Board of Governors Rule 1.6