Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Impact

The Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact provides an engaging and supportive environment for students of all backgrounds, critically examining issues of diversity, inclusion, marginalization, inequality and equity.

The Center engages critically with the ways in which social processes and structures shape individual and collective experiences and identities, with a particular focus on Northeast Ohio.

The Center provides students with opportunities for experiential and service-based learning, as well as networking and mentorship. It offers a series of programs and events which nurture and sustain the ability of students to engage thoughtfully, responsibly and in impactful ways, in seeking a more inclusive and socially just society.

In fostering engagements with diverse partners and communities through transformative conversations, experiences, and pedagogy, the Center aligns with the College mission in its efforts to foster intellectual excellence and social responsibility, enabling our students to thrive in their chosen careers, flourish in life, and face the urgent challenges of the times.

WHAT THE CENTER DOES?

The Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact offers special opportunities for all Hiram College students. A contemporary liberal arts education demands creative and committed thinking from a genuinely interdisciplinary perspective, with the goal of creating an informed citizenry committed to a responsible reflexive engagement in and with the world.

Every year, the Center, in alignment with Hiram’s liberal arts education, offers multiple opportunities for students across disciplines to grow as scholars and citizens:

  • The Center attracts students from across campus, engaging them in issues of diversity, inclusion and social impact by connecting them with scholars and practitioners both on and off campus. This includes readings and classroom visits from academics and professionals working on such issues across Northeast Ohio.
  • The Center provides students with networking and mentorship opportunities as they seek to pursue careers and educational opportunities in the areas of diversity, inclusion and social impact (i.e. policy, human rights, education, charity/nonprofit sector, law and legal studies, social work, etc.)
  • The Center connects students to service and experiential-based learning, research, and internship opportunities across the areas of diversity, inclusion and social impact. This affords students the chance to gain applied, practical experience in understanding, analyzing and addressing a range of pressing contemporary issues.

Opportunities for Students

The Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact believes in providing Hiram students with opportunities for them to grow as critical, engaged and caring citizens.

With internships, students can explore careers and gain professional experience relevant to the areas of diversity, inclusion and social impact, which will enhance their appeal to employers after graduation. The Center works closely with the career center to identify relevant positions, advertise them to students, and help students develop application materials.

Hiram Connect requires that all students complete an experiential learning activity before they graduate. This activity can be a study-abroad course, research experience, or an internship. Internships are a great way to get hands-on professional experience in a potential career path before graduating. Faculty affiliated with the Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact work with students interested in diversity, inclusion and social impact career paths to find internships that will give them professional experience in these fields.

The Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact hosts networking and mentoring events, which provide students with the opportunity to meet practitioners working broadly in the areas of diversity, inclusion and social impact. This includes those working in community/neighborhood development, social policy, nonprofit and charity-sector work.