Multiculturalism, Internationalism and Diversity at Alliant International University
Latino Achievement | Black History Month | Rockway Home | Institute on Disability and Health Psychology | I-MERIT |
 | International & Multicultural Education, Research, Intervention and Training | | The I-MERIT (International and Multicultural Education, Research, Intervention, and Training) initiative serves as home for Alliant's diversity initiatives, which are aimed at institutionalizing multicultural and international values and perspectives in all of Alliant’s education and training programs and in its organizational culture. (You can learn more about I-MERIT's activities by downloading our newsletter and reading articles linked at the bottom of this box.) . I-MERIT is the University’s diversity plan, adopted in 2006-07. It grounds international and US-based diversity in a common conceptual framework, establishes institutional diversity goals and objectives, and establishes cultural competencies for all students, faculty, and staff or administrators. I-MERIT is also proud to work hand-in-hand with Alliant research organizations such as the Rockway Institute, concerned with LGBT issues, and the Institute on Disability and Health Psychology. I-MERIT has an inclusive view of diversity, which spans: -
nationality, -
race, -
ethnicity, -
gender, -
sexual orientation, -
religion, spirituality, -
socioeconomic status, -
ability, -
and age. The work of I-MERIT is supported by a Director and Associate Director, and a Systemwide Committee of staff, faculty and student representatives, which provides policy guidance and coordination of efforts across schools and campuses. The Systemwide I-MERIT Office provides resources, consultation, and training to academic programs and administrative offices to make cultural competence part and parcel of all aspects of the University. Each campus has a Campus I-MERIT Committee, comprised of students, staff, and faculty, which sponsors events, training sessions, and projects, often focused on a Systemwide Theme of the Year. The Systemwide Director of I-MERIT is Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden, who is based on the Los Angeles Campus, and is available at email. | | I-MERIT Reading | | Alliant International University calls itself a “professional practice university in a multicultural and international context.” What does that mean to students? It means that Alliant International University recognizes that no matter where our students choose to live, they will be living in a global village. Over the past decade, the United States has experienced the latest of three epic waves of immigration that have defined the nation. Over the next decade, the results of that historic event will change the face - and the faces - of every state and every city in the nation. Around the world, the forces of technology and globalization are ensuring that human beings live side by side with people of different races, cultures and religions. Dr. Geoffrey Cox, our President, has said, "Alliant is a unique institution—built for the multicultural and global society in which we live. We pride ourselves on the rich diversity of our faculty and students, and on our long experience in international education. And we draw on these distinguishing features to ensure that our students develop the experience and the skills - the multicultural competence - they need to live and work in the years to come." We recognize that no matter where they choose to work, our graduates will need to be able to work productively with people who grew up in situations very different from their own. In our educational programs, we strive to give them the experience and professional skills, the multicultural competence, they need to deeply understand and work with at least one group unlike their own. Domestic and International Initiatives On our California campuses, the Latino Achievement Initiative and the International and Multicultural Education, Research, Intervention, and Training (I-MERIT) initiative work with faculty, students and staff to build multi-cultural understanding and skills. At the same time, Alliant's international programs reach out to build bridges of human understanding and professional collaboration in many places. Among our international programs are: - a pioneering Masters degree in Clinical Psychology in Japan,
- the first Doctorate in Psychology degree program in China,
- pioneering graduate-level language education capacity building initiatives with Cisco in Jordan and with Indonesia’s premier National Islamic University,
- world-renowned educational non-governmental organization, the World Council of Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI),
- cultural immersion programs for cross-cultural awareness in psychology, business, and education in addition to a full array of degree and certificate programs in Mexico, and
- faculty/student exchanges, collaborative research and program development, and cultural immersion travel initiatives throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
As Dr. Cox has written, "The big problems that the world will face in this still-new century - the kinds of issues that will confront us and our children - will require the kinds of expertise gained by Alliant students. While we have all come to expect miracles from science and technology, many of the most intractable problems we will face in coming years are irreducible human problems requiring the expertise of the human sciences. To solve the problems of our age and our world, we need a deep understanding of how humans think, learn live, and work together."
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