Statement of Belongingness and Engagement

As members of the Psychology Department, we strive to cultivate a vibrant and connected academic community that values deep questioning and critical thinking, to promote and foster intellectual growth and creativity, and to challenge assumptions. We are committed to supporting and embracing students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds and groups, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexuality, gender, age, ability, and culture. 

To enhance belonging and engagement in our department, we are committed to the following goals: 

• create an atmosphere that encourages the exchange of a variety of viewpoints via broad academic discussions, events that foster the development of the departmental and college community, and other workshops and events that allow for our faculty, students, and staff to connect with one another in respectful and supportive ways;
• foster a departmental culture characterized by sensitivity to and support of all students, faculty, and community members;
• evaluate the intellectual breadth of our existing curriculum and the perspectives represented in it;
• educate faculty and increase sensitivity to a wide range of complex issues relevant to students’ academic and social success;
• stay informed about and take an active role in University-wide events that address students’ needs and increase their academic and social success;
• identify and follow through on ways that we, as individuals and as a department, can promote a sense of belongingness and engagement on campus and in the larger Middle Tennessee community.

Twenty years of educational and social science research has unequivocally demonstrated the benefit of a globally-informed classroom environment ^[1-3]. Such benefits include (a) perceptions of higher quality education, (b) improved perspective taking, (c) expansion of independent thought and belief systems, (d) higher levels of critical and active thinking, (e) greater engagement and motivation in the classroom, (f) greater readiness to participate in a diverse workforce, (g) greater satisfaction with the college experience, and (h) declines in ethnocentric thinking. Of particular importance, an environment that supports all students has been associated with greater feelings of school belonging, and multiple studies have demonstrated a link between perception of school belonging and academic achievement and student retention ^[4-6]. Moreover, supportive classrooms have been found to benefit all students regardless of racial or ethnic background ^[1-2]. Similar patterns have also been found in organizational settings. Workplaces that value multiple viewpoints have been found to facilitate the attraction and the ability to retain talented personnel, greater creativity and innovation, better problem solving, more organizational flexibility, and improved marketing efforts ^[7-8]. 

References (In Order of Mention):

¹ Milem, J. (2003). The educational benefits of diversity: Evidence from multiple sectors. In M. Chang, D. Witt, J. Jone,& K. Hakuta, (Eds.), Compelling interest: Examining the evidence on racial dynamics in colleges and universities (pp. 126-129). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

² Milem, J., & Hakuta, K. (2000). The benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in higher education. In J. D. Wilds (Ed.), Minorities in higher education, 1999-2000, seventeenth annual status report (pp. 39-67). Washington, DC: American Council on Education

³ Orfield, G. (Ed.). (2001). Diversity challenged: Evidence on the impact of affirmative action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Publishing Group.

⁴ Hausmann, L.R.M., Schofield, J.W., & Woods, R.L. (2007). Sense of belonging as a predictor of intentions to persist among African American and White first-year college students. Research in Higher Education,48(7), 803-839.

⁵ Hausmann, L.R.M., Ye, F., Schofield, J.W., & Woods, R.L. (2009). Sense of belonging and persistence in White and African American first-year students. Research in Higher Education,50(7), 649-669.

⁶ Mallett,, R.K., Mell, Z.R., Wagner, D.E., Worrell, F., Burrow, R.N.,& Andretta, J.R. (2011). Do I belong? It depends on when you ask. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 17(4), 432-436.

⁷ Cox, T.H. (1993). Cultural diversity in organizations: Theory, research and practice. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

⁸ Cox, T.H., & Blake, S. (1991). Managing cultural diversity: Implications for organizational competitiveness. The Executive,5(3), 45-46. 

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