Diversity and Inclusion

The UHP acknowledges that there have historically been, and still are, blindspots in making our program more inclusive for all of our students. We know there is work to be done and we are committed to ensuring that we cultivate a community in which everyone feels a true sense of belonging.

More than ever now, we are actively listening to students about their experiences and what we hear motivates us to move urgently with intention to make the necessary changes to ensure that each and every student is well supported and able to thrive in the UHP and at GW more broadly.

On this page, you will learn more about our current and future diversity and inclusion goals, resources for minoritized students, and our program demographics. You can also find our statements on matters of diversity and inclusion below.

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion
Statement on George Floyd

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Goals

Goals for Academic Year 2022-2023

  1. Highlight student achievements in a manner that is representative of the diverse individuals within the UHP and their successes. 

  2. Provide academic support for upperclassmen to strengthen their relationships and engagement within the community. 

  3. Host ongoing workshops and trainings for student, faculty, and staff within the UHP community.

  4. Promote intellectual and global understanding of the diversity within the international community at the George Washington University. 

Ongoing Work and Long Term Goals

  • Continue regular meetings of the UHP Diversity & Inclusion Committee with faculty, staff, and student participants, and establish new focused task forces based on the priorities identified by that Committee. 

  • Communicate opportunities available at GW for students, staff, and faculty to learn more on issues of diversity and inclusion.

  • Regularly advertise on-campus support resources to students (such as the GW’s online bias incident report system, Counseling and Psychological Services, DSS, Academic Commons and the Office of Advocacy & Support).

  • Build and sustain a welcoming community through residential and social programming, yearly anti-bias training, and continued collaborative D&I discussions

  • Develop residential community-building activities specifically for first-year students 

  • Better recruit and retain a more diverse student body and faculty by understanding and addressing uncovered issues in admissions and retention.

  • Introduce new authors, readings, and topics in first-year Honors classes, and support discussion amongst the core faculty on evidence-based methods of developing and maintain a positive classroom environment for all students      

  • Offer a greater variety of UHP upper-level course offerings

  • Provide regular reports to the community on diversity & inclusion related goals, progress, and outcomes

  • Support open discussions between UHP students, administration and faculty to improve diversity, inclusion and belonging with the goal of building trust in our UHP community

Resources

If you ever witness or are a target of an incident of hate or bias (involving any GW community members-- students, faculty, or staff), we strongly encourage you to fill out a bias report form. If the incident occurred in a UHP space, please include that in your report. Reports can be submitted anonymously, though reports with names will enable easier support/communication from the office.

UHP Demographics

Current UHP Student Body Demographics

  All UHP Students (Fall 2023, N = 467) All UHP Students (Fall 2022, N = 486) All UHP Students (Fall 2021, N = 500) All UHP Students (Fall 2020, N = 484)
Asian 17.1% 17.3% 16.8% 16.1%
Black 8.6% 7.6% 5.4% 2.7%
Native American 0.0% 0.6% 0.2% 0.0%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0%
White 65.7% 66.5% 68.4% 63.8%
Two or More Races 6.2% 6.4% 6.2% 4.8%
Hispanic 10.7% 9.9% 11.0% 8.3%
Unknown/Prefer Not to Respond 2.4% 2.3% 1.0% 2.5%
International 2.4% 2.0% 2.0% 1.9%

 

Demographics of First-year UHP Student Cohorts by Year

  Fall 2023 Fall 2022 Fall 2021 Fall 2020 Fall 2019
Asian 16.7% 12% 13.1% 29% 16%
Black 6.4% 10.4% 9.0% 5% 3%

Native American/Alaska Native

0.0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
White 69.8% 70.4% 66.4% 48% 67%
Two or More Races 4.0% 4.8% 9.8% 10% 6%
Hispanic 10.3% 11.2% 14.8% 8% 10%
Unknown / Prefer Not to Respond 3.2% 2.4% 4.1% 1% 1%
--          
International Students 4.0% 1.0% 1.6% 4% 1%
First Generation Students 11.9% 13.0% 8.2% 6% 9%