Kalamazoo College is committed to fostering a campus climate and academic experience in which our diverse community of learners can thrive.
In recent years, K has made great strides in enrolling a significantly more diverse student body in terms of race/ethnicity and country of origin. The student body has also become much more diverse in family income level, geography, and first-generation status. This achievement in representational diversity is indispensable and will continue, but is only one aspect of the work.
Addressing issues of diversity with students and issues of institutional racism within the College is a very important part of a liberal arts education and the work of Kalamazoo College. Our mission guides us to prepare our graduates to “better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world.”
The Office of Intercultural Student Life works toward fostering the development of intercultural competence among students and ensuring a sense of belonging among all students, with a special focus on the experience of students of color, first-generation students, LGBTQAI+ students, low-income students, and international students.
K’s Intercultural Center is a dedicated space that builds community by providing services and programming that celebrate our diverse student body. The Intercultural Center is designed to provide refuge, support and education, especially for traditionally marginalized students. All students are welcome.
In 2018, Kalamazoo College was awarded a $1 million, five-year grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to participate in a nationwide quest to find ways to better serve students from demographic groups that are underrepresented in science and mathematics. K is one of 33 colleges chosen for HHMI’s Inclusive Excellence initiative.
More Information
Inclusive Excellence in STEM
Office of Intercultural Student Life
Resources for Students with Disabilities
Resources for LGBTQ+ Students
International Student Information
Diversity News
- Anne Dueweke ’84 hopes to supplement histories with racial and colonial history in Reckoning: Kalamazoo College Uncovers Its Racial and Colonial Past. The […]
- Playwright Kevin Renn will conduct a public discussion at Kalamazoo College days before his show, Blacks+Phats, is presented at K’s Festival Playhouse. The […]
- A performance duo with more than 20 years of storytelling experience will provide a livestream presentation to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. […]
- Zoe Barnes '18, inspired by her experiences in diversity at K, has earned a special honor from the National Association of School Psychologists […]
- A Kalamazoo College student organization is showing local girls that they don’t have to assimilate to anyone’s standards to see themselves as beautiful. […]