Mission Statement

The mission of Multicultural Student Development and Mentoring (MSDM) is to empower students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve academic, career, and personal success. This office serves deaf, hard of hearing and hearing undergraduate and graduate students by offering programs, services and resources which foster self-awareness, intellectual curiosity and cultural awareness in an academically stimulating environment.

Vision Statement

Gallaudet University, through the leadership of Multicultural Student Development and Mentoring, will become a model of exemplary services for students who face challenges in higher education because of their deaf/hard of hearing/hearing status, race, gender identity and expression, age, social class, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. Equitable retention and graduation rates for all students will be an indicator of MSDM’ success. Civil discourse, equity, and appreciation for multiple perspectives will be hallmarks of our academic culture.

Students will be able to articulate the contributions of all peoples but especially the groups with which they most identify. Students will see themselves in our selection of faculty, staff and administrators. They will see themselves in the curricula, in the dorms, in leadership roles in student organizations, on bulletin boards and social media, in their textbooks, in the bookstore, in school publications, and wherever they venture on campus. The Gallaudet community will reach out to welcome all students and these students will know they too belong.

Goals

  • Foster equitable retention and graduation rates among all students, including members of racial/ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented at Gallaudet.
  • Promote equity, inclusion, diversity and social justice.
  • Facilitate an affirming and supportive atmosphere for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions.
  • Increase student awareness of diverse cultural heritages and identities.
  • Foster the development of advocacy skills among students.
  • Facilitate cross-cultural interaction opportunities.
  • Develop informational resources, including a Diversity Resource Library, programs and presentations, films, materials for intergroup dialogues, diversity training opportunities, curriculum materials, and other relevant resources.
  • Integrate MSDM programs into the classroom and residential life experiences.

Core Values

The core values form the foundation of our work and conduct. They do not describe our work or our strategies for achieving our work, but describe the belief system that serves as the integral foundation of our mission. They are:

  • Student Centeredness
  • Equity
  • Multicultural Environments
  • Inclusion
  • Respect
  • Collaboration
  • Accountability
  • Assessment

Student Learning Outcomes

Students who participate in our programs will be able to achieve the following:

  1. Understand one's culture, history and language.
  2. Demonstrate advocacy skills necessary to achieve desired goals.
  3. Utilize campus resources to achieve academic and personal success.
  4. Appreciate different cultures and work with diverse populations.