Two students wearing St. John’s University sweatshirts stand outside on a sunny day, talking and smiling near a concrete building covered in green ivy, with trees and grass in the background.

Inclusive Excellence

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The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University believe that an excellent liberal arts education requires an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and that everyone deserves to feel safe and morally valued. To that end, we will challenge our own practices and systems to best meet the needs of our community as we educate students to address the most urgent needs of society. We dedicate ourselves to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons.

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Inclusive Excellence

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BENEDICTINE VALUES

A Brief Overview

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Our commitment to Inclusive Excellence is grounded in our Benedictine values, Catholic Social Teaching, and our educational mission.​ Our Benedictine values have guided communities for over 1,500 years:

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Hospitality

Welcoming all guests as Christ, with warmth and openness.

Respect for Persons

Honoring the dignity and unique contributions of each individual.

Community

Fostering a spirit of shared purpose and mutual support.

Justice

Seeking what is right and fair in relationships and society.

Stability

Committing to the well-being of the place and people where one lives and works.

Peace

Promoting reconciliation and understanding among individuals and groups.

Dignity of Work

Recognizing that all labor, whether physical or intellectual, is equal and sacred as a form of participation in God’s creation.

Awareness of God

Seeking God’s presence in everyday life, not just in abstract or sacred settings.

Listening

Listening “with the ear of your heart” not only to scripture and God but also to one’s neighbors and the world, seeing everyone as a child of God.

Stewardship

Recognizing that all possessions and resources are gifts from God that must be treated with care, gratitude, and reverence.

Benedictine values provide a spiritual and ethical framework for advancing Inclusive Excellence work.

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Inclusive Excellence and Benedictine Values

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The core aims of Inclusive Excellence and Benedictine values align closely. These principles provide each other with synergistic and mutual reinforcement of the central purpose of higher education, which is to challenge students and all members of our community to think critically about their own perspectives, whatever those might be.  Both call for the recognition of every individual’s inherent worth and dignity. Benedictine hospitality complements the goals of inclusion and equity, urging communities to welcome not merely tolerate diversity but actively embrace and celebrate it. The Benedictine pursuit of justice aligns with Inclusive Excellence’s call to address and remedy systemic barriers and injustices.

Both call for the recognition of every individual’s inherent worth and dignity.

The timeless quality of Inclusive Excellence and Benedictine values has caused them to endure for centuries and continue speaking to the many layers of our human experience. The union of them embodies both ancient wisdom and contemporary justice.

BELIEFS

A Stronger Community

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The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University believe that an excellent liberal arts education requires an understanding and appreciation of cultural difference and that everyone deserves to feel safe and morally valued. To that end, we will challenge our own practices and systems. Our commitment to an inclusive environment will be incorporated into all decision-making processes. We dedicate ourselves to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. We dedicate ourselves to cultivating an equitable, inclusive community founded on respect for all persons. This includes:

We believe a strong community is one that engages diverse perspectives and ideas in civil discourse. In an increasingly complex society, fostering an understanding across diverse cultures and perspectives is crucial to understanding the world and communities in which we live.

Three people stand outdoors smiling at the camera. The person on the left wears a red shirt, the person in the middle wears a patterned shirt and red cap, and the person on the right wears glasses and a gray sweatshirt. Trees and grass are in the background.
Three young adults stand indoors eating pizza and smiling. One holds multiple pizza boxes, and the others hold paper plates. Colorful backgrounds and people are visible behind them, suggesting a lively social event.
A young woman wearing a yellow jacket and black hijab smiles while cutting red fabric with scissors at a crafting table, surrounded by colorful fabric pieces. Other people work in the background.
A smiling person in a red shirt holds a large Instagram-style photo frame at an indoor event. The frame reads “CSC Day, Celebrating YOU. This is what a researcher looks like!” with hashtags #CSCDay and #csbsju.
A teacher stands and smiles while speaking to a group of students seated at desks in a classroom. One student in a blue hoodie smiles back, and others are focused on their laptops or listening.
A graduate in a wheelchair receives a diploma on stage during a College of Saint Benedict commencement ceremony, surrounded by faculty in academic regalia and large red banners in the background.
People stand and fish on a wooden dock extending into a lake, while one person sits in a red canoe among green reeds near the shore. Lush green trees line the lakeside in the background under a clear sky.

INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Our Approach

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Rooted in our Benedictine, Catholic and Liberal Arts missions, Inclusive Excellence is our foundational approach to building a more just and inclusive campus. Inclusive Excellence, a term coined by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U, 2005) is  a comprehensive approach to institutional transformation to create a community where all students, faculty and staff across identities may attain successful outcomes. Our approach focuses on creating a community where every student, faculty, and staff member has a genuine opportunity to succeed and a strong sense of belonging. We believe our institution’s success is maximized when we thoughtfully involve and engage all members of our community. This commitment includes focusing on:

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Equipping students with the tools to critically assess and address societal challenges through their chosen professions.

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Ensuring our employees have the ability to review and refine institutional policies and practices, resulting in a supportive and high-quality environment for all members of our community.

Inclusive Excellence is an intentional focus on systemic change and transforming our institution’s policies, practices, curriculum, and outreach to meet the most urgent needs of our time by increasing our capacity to create a socially just university built upon the foundation of our Benedictine values. Our collective work for Inclusive Excellence emphasizes: 

  • A focus on student intellectual, social and professional development. 
  • A purposeful development and utilization of resources to enhance student learning 
  • Attention to the broadly defined cultural differences learners and employees bring to the educational experience that enhance the enterprise. 
  • Being a welcoming community that engages all of its diversity in the service of student and organizational success. 
  • A pursuit of excellence through a well-rounded and balanced development of a students’ physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.  

INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Advisory Board

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The Inclusive Excellence Advisory Board is an institution-wide committee charged with promoting the liberal arts ideas of learning, justice, and community to advance the well-being and success of the entire community at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University.

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INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

Strategic Priorities

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  • Culture and Climate of Transformative Inclusion and Belonging
  • Infrastructure and Accountability
  • Student Enrollment and Success
  • Workforce Development as Tools for Transforming Community
  • Education and Development
  • Building and Sustaining Partnerships