Statement of Community Values

As a public, liberal arts university, the University of Mary Washington community is dedicated to providing a diverse, accepting, and supportive environment that holds all of its members to the highest standards of conduct, scholarship, integrity, inclusiveness, respect, and engagement. Through a commitment to these values, we strive to transform our academic community into a place where all will learn, thrive, and grow. As faculty, staff, and students of the UMW community, we are committed to upholding these common values:

  • Accountability – we promote practices, behaviors, and attitudes where individuals take responsibility for their actions and decisions.
  • Scholarship – we promote intellectual inquiry by engaging ideas and one another in order to gain better understanding and contribute to knowledge.
  • Personal and Institutional Integrity – we are honorable in our academic and work endeavors as well as our interactions with others.
  • Inclusive Excellence – we strive for all members of the community to have equitable access to opportunities for participation and the resources necessary for success.
  • Respect and Civility – we foster an environment in which every individual is treated with dignity at all times by valuing the inherent worth of all identities, abilities, and differences.
  • Engagement – we develop engaged members of our community who actively participate in the community through responsible leadership and service.

We ASPIRE to live these values and work to support our collective and individual successes.

UMW Principles on Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Mary Washington strives to create a climate of acceptance and will promote the values of diversity and inclusiveness. These values strengthen our community and are essential to our academic mission and institutional excellence.

The University of Mary Washington values diversity in all forms— including diversity of age, culture, disability, economic background, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, opinion, political affiliation, race, religious background, sexual orientation and veteran status.

The University of Mary Washington recognizes its responsibility to be a model of fairness and equal opportunity, providing intellectual and institutional leadership regarding diversity issues and initiatives.

As a public university in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the University of Mary Washington embraces its obligation to provide educational opportunities to broader communities found locally and nationally, and to then reflect the diversity of peoples, backgrounds, and experiences in the student body, faculty, administration and staff.

The University is committed to providing broad administrative, programmatic and academic support to achieve its institutional goals for diversity.

The University seeks to prepare students from all backgrounds and identities to live, work and thrive in a global society.

The University seeks to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment of mutual respect for students, faculty, staff and community, internally and externally, of all backgrounds and identities.

The University of Mary Washington recognizes that the adoption of this Statement is the responsibility of the entire University community. To ensure the successful implementation of the statement, the University is committed to a system of responsibility, accountability, and recognition for all faculty, staff, and students that carries out the institutional values on diversity and inclusion and all related goals and objectives.

Approved by the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors
February 19, 2011

Statement of Non-Discrimination

At the University of Mary Washington the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action are practiced.  The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, parental status (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit based factors in recruiting, admitting, enrolling students or hiring and promoting faculty and staff members.

Complaints of discrimination should be directed to the AA/EEO officer of the University; contact information is available.

Approved by the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors
August 25, 2017

Related Resources

Bias Offense and Incident Reporting Policy