Imagine a university community where all students, faculty, staff, and administrators experience a heightened sense of community and belonging—an open-enrolled, Christ-centered community where all employees and students are seen, spiritually formed, intellectually stimulated, socially connected, and culturally adept with faith-informed resolve to advance the work of God in the world. Imagine a community where there are no disparities in success outcomes across diverse categorical lines. Envision a university community where all faculty, staff, and students are thriving and experiencing:
- Membership: a true sense of belonging that translates to thriving, holistic outcomes.
- Relationship: the ability to relate to and establish authentic, meaningful connections with peers and colleagues within the community.
- Ownership: the opportunity to leverage one’s faith, strengths, expertise, and unique capacity to offer contribution within and outside of the community.
- Partnership: the opportunity to cultivate and optimize interdependent relationships in learning, building, and serving collaboratively to make a difference.
1 Adapted from Chavis and McMillan, 1986
Why is Diversity Important?
At Azusa Pacific University, diversity is not a secular concept but a biblical one. The Bible includes a recurring theme of diversity as an expression of God’s image, love, and boundless creativity. Scripture begins with the Creation narrative, which illuminates God’s infinite and creative power (Genesis 1-2), and it ends with a descriptive, Spirit-filled vision from the Apostle John describing a multiethnic, multicultural, and multilingual Kingdom (Revelation 7) under the rule of the Lord. We see diversity in Luke’s account of the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. We also see it reflected throughout Jesus’ ministry as He engaged, loved, fed, healed, and ministered to people from a variety of backgrounds, including the Samaritan woman in John 4, children and the elderly in Matthew 18 and Isaiah 46:4, the physically impaired in John 9 and Mark 2, the psychologically and spiritually distressed in Mark 5, and so many others in terms of social, political, racial, and economic standing. Diversity mattered to Jesus, so it should be important to us.
Because a commitment to diversity is a biblical distinctive, it’s also a missional priority. To fulfill our institutional mission of advancing the work of God in the world, the APU community must effectively engage an increasingly diverse and complex world. Fulfilling the Great Commission in today’s culture requires faith, courage, discernment, and cultural dexterity to spread and live out the Gospel. Current (and forecasted) student demographics on many college campuses show a significant rise in female students, first-generation college students, students of color, international students, and undocumented students; APU reflects these statistics.
These demographic shifts translate into a rich mosaic of faculty, staff, and students. Higher education research confirms that diversity enhances the education experience, fosters critical thinking and problem-solving, prompts creativity and innovation, bolsters community engagement, increases preparedness for organizations and industries that have become increasingly diverse, and translates to other measurable benefits for the individual, institution, and society as a whole. This development also presents an opportunity to consider ways we can advance our mission and legacy of transformation within a community reflecting myriad backgrounds. Steps toward this goal include deep understanding of the faculty, staff, and students and how they experience APU, and creating a shared vision for cultivating belonging, which translates to holistic gains for the entire university.
Understanding Our University Community
Since our inaugural cohort of 12 students in Whittier, California, under the leadership of President Mary Hill in 1899, the APU student body has expanded significantly. Our mosaic comprises traditional and nontraditional students, first-generation and legacy students, residential and commuter students, domestic and international students, students of color, students with varying abilities, veterans and military-affiliated students, student-athletes, and more.
Today, APU is one of the most diverse Christian higher education institutions in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). The U.S. Department of Education recognizes APU as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), with more than 25 percent of traditional undergraduate students being Hispanic (37.4%), and as an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI), with more than 10 percent of traditional undergraduate students being of Native/Indigenous or Asian descent (14.51%). These designations enable APU to vie for competitive grants such as the recently awarded $2.7 million Title V Advancing Student Achievement and Success HSI grant. These funds expand the institution’s ability to support the success of diverse, traditionally underserved students at all levels through resources including robust tutoring and academic advising services, funding of library renovations, and the use of the Stellic student success platform to better serve this growing student population. The grant also funds efforts to equip faculty and staff to more effectively engage, educate, and serve this generation of students.
In addition, the university administered a campus climate survey from January 23-February 24, 2023, to students, faculty, staff, and administration. More than 900 members of our university community participated, reaping empirically validated results. Findings revealed areas of strength and gaps that translate to strategic priorities such as demonstrating an institutional commitment to diversity as a Christ-centered value, bolstering retention, cultivating a healthy campus climate, establishing pathways for success, and increasing community engagement. Student success measures (e.g., retention, persistence, and graduation rates) and employee-related data were coupled with the campus climate survey results to identify action items that form APU’s Diversity Strategic Plan. Multiple campus and online forums have been hosted to communicate campus climate survey results and allow community members to offer feedback, ideas, and observations.
During this milestone year, we celebrate the 125-year legacy of transformation reflected in the heritage of APU, we look ahead with hope and celebration, knowing that APU will continue its mission of equipping a diverse community of disciples and scholars who advance the work of the Lord in the local community, across the nation, and around the globe for His glory.