In 2020, the Committee for Academic Equity and Inclusive Excellence was charged with developing a statement that operationalizes and institutionalizes equity at NIU. Today, the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) 2.0 Working Groups continue to advanced equity-minded goals under NIU's shared equity leadership structure.
What Is Equity?
Simply put, equity gives each student what they need to succeed. It differs from equality, which provides the same measures to all students, regardless of need. An equity-minded framework requires us to be conscious of the academic achievement gap and work to reduce it. This begins by changing policies and practices to better support each individual student. Our approach toward equity is centered on Estela Bensimon's definition of equity-mindedness and Frank Harris' concept of equity.
Our NIU Statement on Equity
Northern Illinois University strives to improve outcomes for all students by identifying and removing barriers that disproportionately hinder the academic achievement and student experience of historically and currently underserved populations.