SECTION D: A Diverse University

Providing an education which affirms the diversity of humanity and of the human experience

As of the year 2000, there is no longer a distinction between "majority" and "minority" either in San Francisco and in California as a state. San Francisco State University, as a public, urban institution serving one of the largest and most diverse student bodies in the nation, bears both a pragmatic and an ethical responsibility to enunciate and embody principles which reflect a fundamental respect for all people. Through teaching and example, the university strives to inspire and prepare its members to participate and lead in a pluralistic society. San Francisco State has always embraced diversity. Its "Principles of Conduct for a Multicultural University" were adopted by SFSU's Commission on Human Relations in its final report of May 1990, and later affirmed by the Academic Senate.

Foremost among those principles, the university affirms that: "As a major institution of higher education, public, urban, and diverse, SFSU has a special responsibility to both set forth and live by principles which reflect a fundamental respect for our fellow beings, regardless of culture or ethnicity." It is "committed to the goal of a multicultural community that prepares and inspires its members for successful participation and effective leadership in a pluralistic society." The university "welcomes diversity as an opportunity for teaching, developing, and promoting multicultural competencies and understandings. Racial, ethnic, gender, sexual identity, disability, religious, and other individual or group differences shall not be regarded as hindrances to success. Rather they shall be treated as positive opportunities for the enrichment of our educational resources and the quality of our campus life."

In the following two chapters we will attempt to show how SFSU has committed its resources to creating a university in which everyone, in all places and at all levels, has an equal opportunity for success and fulfillment. The first focuses on university-wide attempts to enhance "human relations" on the campus, while the second discusses endeavors to infuse multicultural perspectives in the curriculum.