Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Columbia Theological Seminary

Columbia Theological Seminary is committed to promoting the goals of diversity, equity and inclusiveness in all aspects of its theological and education enterprise. We seek to acknowledge and respect the differences and gifts of all as we work toward becoming a more just and relational community.

This commitment is embedded in student recruiting, the hiring of faculty and staff, and the ongoing systems and processes of our community. In addition, the community has created specific pathways for nurturing and enabling each person to live out this commitment.

The inaugural EDI Council was created in 2018 to engage the community in educational events and consult with the President on ways the institution can more fully live into its commitments of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The Council was made up of representatives from faculty, staff, and students and was called upon to participate in resolving issues covered under EDI policies. The EDI Council was created to support an ethos at Columbia of engaging one another courageously, not judgmentally, and affirming the importance of each person’s identities and cultural legacy in developing an authentic moral community of trust and relationship.

 The DEI Advisory Council was formed in 2021 to work with the Ombuds Program, and the Becoming Project Implementation Task Force to seek ways to create a more faithful, just, and equitable community at Columbia Theological Seminary. These groups use the Organizational Justice Framework to ground their work.

Organizational Justice

  • Distributive Justice - Fairness of the distribution of resources.

  • Interpersonal Justice - How individuals are treated as policies/procedures are enacted.

  • Procedural Justice - The process by which resources are allocated and decisions are made.

  • Informational Justice - Communication of timely, accurate, truthful, and sufficient information regarding policies, procedures, and actions taken.

DEI Advisory
Council

This group is made up of representatives from faculty, staff, and students. The Council is focused during the 2021 - 2022 academic year upon organizational trust and works to inform the President about how diversity, equity, and inclusion are experienced in the community so that the President can address them appropriately.

Ombuds
Program

The Ombudsperson offers all members of the community personal or group conflict coaching, facilitated conversations, and transformative mediation workshops. In addition, mediation by the Ombudsperson can be requested as part of the process for resolving issues covered under EDI policies.

Becoming Project
Implementation Task Force

The work of becoming a more faithful, just, and equitable community is an ongoing process. The Implementation Task Force was formed In 2020 to focus on the input from the TCC process and envision new ways of being together.


Policies and Reporting

Columbia has put in place explicit policies outlining its commitment to promoting the goals of fairness and equity and procedures for reporting any incidents of discrimination for age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, nationality, physical appearance, race, religion, sexual orientation, perceived sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, or veteran status. You can access the policies here.