ACUHO-I has an obligation to raise its voice, globally and locally, against injustice and provide support to and advocacy on behalf of all those who are subject to it.
This obligation includes amplifying the past, present, and future narratives of marginalized communities. We also believe that individuals in the majority within the Association need to fully invest in learning, reckoning, and active engagement to not only recognize their personal power and privilege but also address systemic acts of injustice. Essential to these outcomes is the ongoing pursuit of cultural humility and allyship, two critical activities for transformative change.
ACUHO-I’s commitment to advocacy and equity-centered education is demonstrated through our adoption of the following principles of engagement for excellence. These principles guide our work on behalf of our members, the broader profession, and ultimately, the students we serve.
Promote the value of diversity, the integrity of equity, and the benefit of inclusive practice
Recognize that as educators, we are called to our work and that valuing the knowledge and perspectives that people from diverse backgrounds and affiliations bring is necessary for productively responding to the challenges higher education faces.
Identify the elements of ACUHO-I members’ work that can be leveraged to address oppression and discrimination
Focus on offering relevant guidance that is consistent with members’ roles and responsibilities across all levels of the Association. Share information and expertise to foster understanding amongst all members.
Illustrate just and inclusive models in all ACUHO-I initiatives
Integrate and communicate the Association’s ongoing efforts of being purposeful in imagining, testing, and demonstrating models for just and inclusive practices across all programs, services, policies, and principles through the engagement of subject matter experts, executive board, volunteers, and staff.
Connect cultural humility to organizational outcomes
Understand that cultural humility allows for an increased capacity to address conflict and for differences to strengthen organizational connectivity. Emphasize personal and collective responsibility for diversifying the composition of the workforce, ensuring support for and retention of a diverse student body, and embracing the role of cultural humility in the development of anti-oppressive communities.
Build ACUHO-I’s capacity to assist its members by offering education, professional development, and resources
Provide ongoing training for members, volunteer leaders, and ACUHO-I staff on how to build consensus around their organization’s goals for justice and equity, develop partnerships, identify resources to do the work, develop leadership at all levels to implement consensus goals, and communicate the centrality of this work to the vitality of higher education.
Assess progress toward achieving goals for justice and equity
Foster a culture of exploration of intentional justice and equity efforts and engagement with difference, establish and use assessment results for organizational learning, and develop/adopt an iterative assessment process and metrics for ACUHO-I to monitor their progress over time.