Diversity and Inclusion

Our mission begins with a commitment to diversity, social justice, and our surrounding community. We encourage our students to put ideas to work engaging classmates and community members in dialog on social justice, equality, identity, faith, acceptance, gender and inclusion. Through service learning projects and course work on political advocacy, Oakwood students help shape policy on the local level and facilitate workshops throughout the Hudson Valley. Integrating classroom instruction with meaningful service learning strengthens our program and deepens our understanding of and respect for the larger community.   

On any given day at Oakwood, there exists a close-knit, small community charged and energized by a dozen countries, multiple languages, multiple religions, countless life experiences, orientations, family structures and world views. At the core of our community is the belief that there is a light, a profound spark, in all of us.  A belief that differences and  diversity of thought are strengths to be shared, discussed, explored and respected. It is the capacity to listen, reflect and understand which helps create a learning environment fostering respect, collaboration and growth.