NYU Abu Dhabi is committed to building and strengthening a university-wide culture of inclusion, diversity, belonging, and equity.

The IDBE Landscape

The values of inclusion, diversity, belonging, and equity (IDBE) have been fundamental to NYU Abu Dhabi since its inception, reflected in our mission and vision.

All university community members are expected to uphold these values through the active work and ongoing pursuit of education, engagement, self-reflection, and a willingness to advance practices that lead to a more inclusive institution. The University has developed an Inclusion and Equity Accountability Framework to ensure that these commitments are enacted in a tangible and sustainable manner that contributes to long-lasting cultural change across all university constituencies.

Spearheaded by the Office of Global Inclusion Abu Dhabi, many offices across the university offer programming and resources to support the NYUAD community as we all work together to build an environment in which all are empowered and enabled to belong.

Office of Global Inclusion Abu Dhabi (OGI Abu Dhabi)

NYUAD Accountability Framework

NYU Office of Global Inclusion

Accessibility at NYUAD

Belonging is indeed a foundational human need, which when nurtured can bring out the best in all of us, enabling our community to maximize its excellence.

Arlie Petters, Provost

Terminology

The following definitions are shared across the NYU Global Network and were developed by the Office of Global Inclusion. See a more expansive list of terminology.

Inclusion
Diversity
Belonging
Equity

NYU Definition: The degree to which diversity is embedded, integrated, and involved.

Inclusion is an active process in which diversity is viewed as an important resource, and where we value ourselves and others because of and not despite our differences (or similarities). In an inclusive system, everyone — across multiple types of differences — should be empowered as a full participant and contributor who feels and is connected to the larger collective without having to give up individual uniqueness, cherished identities, or vital qualities. This is achieved through a combination of individual behaviors and attitudes, group norms, leadership approaches, and organizational policies and practices (Ferdman, 2014; Ferdman, 2017).
NYU Definition: Diversity is demography and often representational. It is a complex interplay of social identities and issues.

Diversity refers to differences between people, with distinctions in categories being made based on a number of salient characteristics that influence the identity and the way of life of that person (van Ewijk, 2011). Frequently used demographic categories include gender, race, language, age, religion, disability, and socioeconomic status, although this list is by no means exhaustive. Furthermore, each individual is a unique blend of identities, cultures, and experiences, which shape the way that this person thinks and brings their thoughts to the table, an aspect of diversity sometimes referred to as diversity of thought (Nguyen-Phuong-Mai, 2017).
NYU Definition: Operationalized when individuals are considered part of the constitutional foundation of an organization or institution. Belonging is achieved when individuals have the ability to critique and hold an institution responsible for advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Belonging generally refers to a feeling or sensation of connectedness, and the experience of mattering or feeling cared about, accepted, respected, valued by, and integral to a group such as the campus community (Asher & Weeks, 2014; Strayhorn, 2019). A sense of belonging is important for all, but those from nondominant groups may particularly feel a sense of nonbelonging, and belonging is contextual: one may feel that they belong in one situation and not in another (Cook-Sather & Felten, 2017).
NYU Definition: Fairness and parity in distribution of resources based on historical and contemporary differentials that mitigate participation in society.

Equity can be thought of through the lens of fairness and social justice, with the recognition of structural factors that disadvantage and marginalize certain groups (Vargas-Tamex, 2019). Equity differs from equality in that it takes into account pre-existing inequality to ensure fairness. When one recipient or group has historically received fewer resources or opportunities than another, for example, a strictly equal allocation merely perpetuates the status quo (Rizzo & Killen, 2016).

Support for Our Community

Office of Global Inclusion Abu Dhabi

Provides expert consultation, programs, resources and innovative strategy to foster IDBE on campus.

Spiritual Life and InterCultural Education

Offers programs to develop students’ understanding of each other's cultural perspectives and values.

Office of Equal Opportunity

Responsible for advancing and monitoring NYU’s equal opportunity policies and procedures.

Faculty Development and Diversity

Develops and implements IDBE strategies and programs to recruit and retain outstanding faculty.

Human Resources

Offers employee support services so that all are enabled to feel a sense of inclusion and belonging.

Hilary Ballon Center

Offers sustained, proactive education and engagement on inclusive teaching for NYUAD faculty.

Global Education

Cultivates students’ intercultural sensitivity and cross-cultural communication skills.

Health Promotion Office (Wellness)

Supports students’ mental health and well-being, factors that can deeply impact sense of belonging.

Office of Social Responsibility

Offer educational, social programs to meet expressed needs of contracted staff and domestic workers.

First Year Experience (Student Life)

Lays the foundation for first-year students to build strong intercultural friendships.

Community Outreach (Student Life)

Develops volunteer and service-based learning opportunities to actively engage across difference.

Student Interest Groups (Student Life)

Creates engagement opportunities through student groups, with a third representing identity groups.

NYUAD has provided many resources that have helped me understand and acknowledge the diversity of other cultures present in our university. In particular, SLICE has given me a chance to dive deeper into my inner thoughts, to look at various factors that have affected and shaped me to become the person I am today.

Waseem Chaudry, Class of 2020 and Dean’s Fellow

Committees and Coalitions

A number of committees across the University contribute to IDBE, either as part of their direct purview or through support and dialogue.

The Inclusion, Equity and Action Committee (IEAC) is the action-oriented body that assists and guides the NYUAD administration in implementing commitments and recommendations to achieve a greater state of transparency in discussing race, diversity, belonging and equity on our campus.

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Campus Life is deeply committed to IDBE across the division, and has undertaken a series of initiatives, training, and capacity building exercises for both students and staff that will collectively deepen awareness, empathy, cultural competence, and flexibility.

A key part of this is the Campus Life Inclusion and Belonging Coalition which began in January 2020, and focuses on curriculum-based capacity building, immersive learning and relationship building, and campus climate, among other aspects. Four subcommittees help guide its work:
1. Campus pulse: Getting a sense of key student concerns and current campus climate around diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus
2. Proactive Outreach: Proactively reaching out to students/student groups who may benefit from support around key issues of diversity and inclusion on campus or may be impacted by a global/regional issue. Identifying SIGs, Student Government, and other student groups for proactive outreach by group members
3. Build Capacity: Professional development of group members using trainings and resources around issues of diversity and inclusion with a focus on higher education. Building a curriculum for continued education, and relationship and capacity building around IDBE work to prepare group members to be a resource for their departments.
4. Projects: Identifying small IDBE projects within the division for group members to work collaboratively on.
The Student Government Diversity Committee seeks to create a more inclusive, cohesive, and safe community. It facilitates dialogue on campus climate, advocates for more inclusive campus-wide policies and it promotes mutual understanding and respect among the community members through programming and facilitation of connections between students, student groups, and Administration. Some of the past initiatives include dialogue on issues affecting low-income students and the organization of Solidarity Week.

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The Staff Council engages with staff to understand their needs and concerns, and addresses them with NYUAD leadership. As such, the Council serves as the main channel of communication between staff and the NYUAD leadership.

Staff Council is invested in pursuing a healthy working environment and fulfilling staff experience for all. To this end, the Staff Council structure includes a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer who liaises with relevant stakeholders on behalf of our staff, and has recently established a Working Group on Race and Racism which will focus on the representation of the BIPOC staff experience, and facilitation of programming which will aim to increase awareness, develop allyship, and strengthen our staff community.

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The Faculty Council Steering Committee (FCSC) serves as the main channel between NYU Abu Dhabi's leadership and faculty. Diversity and inclusion are core values of our faculty and of our community, and the faculty body is proud to teach and mentor a diverse student body and to deliver an ambitious, global liberal arts curriculum. The FCSC and the wider faculty body aim to be — and to become better — allies to all of our students and are committed to upholding the values of IDBE in and beyond the classroom.

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The Cross-Council Committee is an advisory committee to the University leadership comprising representatives from the various constituencies: faculty, staff, students (undergraduate and graduate), postdoctoral associates, and contract staff. The committee leverages its diverse membership to facilitate the flow of pertinent information amongst constituencies and to ensure concerns and recommendations are referred to the appropriate council or university committee. In doing so, the committee seeks to serve as an inclusive platform of the NYUAD community with the aim of highlighting shared challenges and visions based on our core institutional values.

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Diversity at NYUAD

The data points below demonstrate some of NYU Abu Dhabi’s diversity. Measuring our campus population in more properly nuanced ways is a University priority as we seek to make our community more diverse and representative of our values.

Global Inclusion Abu Dhabi

45+

Faculty Nationalities

115+

Countries Represented

115+

Languages Spoken

As scholars, we are continuously reflecting and through our actions transforming; our deep thinking should encompass the wider issues that affect humankind, such as racism, equity, and inclusion, and within the scope of our work and responsibilities we should all engage, act and impact to benefit NYUAD and its communities.

Marta Losada, Dean of Science; Professor of Physics