The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) is dedicated to equity, anti-racism and social justice. We recognize that the School, the university in which it is situated, the journalism profession, and media industries, emerged and developed as white and male-dominated institutions and have white male supremacy embedded into their values and norms. The SJMC has institutionalized policies and practices that systematize and reproduce inequalities that hurt marginalized and vulnerable communities. It is time for this to stop. It is time for the School to become an equitable, inclusive and anti-racist institution. To that end, we have created a racial and social justice taskforce to review every policy and process associated with the School. Please read the SJMC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan for more information.

In the meantime, you may review the School’s strategic plan for DEI goals towards which it is currently working.

The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fundamental to the mission of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa, as we conduct our work in the context of the whole of humanity.

• In our teaching, we draw on, explore, and question every facet of human experience and understanding.
• In our scholarship, scientific inquiry, and artistry, we create new knowledge and insight, reflecting and shaping the cultures and societies in which human lives unfold.
• In our service to Iowans, we collaborate with communities to solve critical problems arising from inequity.

DEI values are inseparable from those of the liberal arts tradition. To fully realize our college’s critical mission of advancing human understanding within that tradition, we must actualize these values in every aspect of our decision-making and every area of our academic community.