The Inclusion Inventory is designed to tell the collective story about how we strive to live according to our community values, one of which reminds us to foster a welcoming environment for all members of our community. In place of a printed report updated just once per year, the Inclusion Inventory page of the website provides an ongoing look at inclusion activities throughout the year.

Submit an entry to the Inclusion Inventory

Welcome Home: A Historic Partnership

Ursinus began a partnership with the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Perkiomen Valley School District in 2021 on the Welcome Home Project, which honors the history, culture, and legacy of the Lenape people, who for thousands of years inhabited parts of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania—including the Collegeville area.

Welcome Home

On April 12, our community solidified its connection with the Delaware Tribe of Indians alongside the Perkiomen Valley School District in a historic Welcome Home event.

Campus Fair and Lightning Talks Raise Awareness for Hidden Disabilities

Supported by an Inclusive Community Grant, the Invisibility to VisAbility Fair was an event initiated by UC Possibilities, a new student-run group under disability services. The fair, much like the organization itself, aimed to raise awareness and promote acceptance of hidden disabilities, both mental and physical.

Inclusion and Equity Awards Presented Tuesday, April 26

Assistant Professor of Biology Jennifer King, Assistant Director of Residence Life Michael Thompkins, and Sophie Louis ’24, receives the annual Inclusion and Equity Awards. The presentation took place during the Spring Awards event in the Myrin Library Lounge on Tuesday, April 26. The celebratory event also included the All Campus Awards, Faculty Publication Party, and the annual Beardwood Toast. 

College Shares Land Acknowledgement Statement

In an email message to the Ursinus community on March 8, 2022, President Marsteller shared the Land Acknowledgement Statement recently approved by college leadership.

Berman Museum to Host Conversation with Guggenheim Fellows and Photographers Donald E. Camp, Ron Tarver, Wendel A. White and William E. Williams

On Friday, March 18, The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art will host Berman Conversation with Guggenheim Fellows and Photographers Donald E. Camp, Ron Tarver, Wendel A. White and William E. Williams. This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition by William Earl Williams - A Stirring Song Sung Heroic: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom, 1619 to 1865, on view at the Berman Museum through April 3, 2022.

Banning Maus: Censorship in the 21st Century

Join Xandy Frisch (Jewish Studies) and Diane Skorina (Library & IT) in a conversation about the most recent controversy surrounding Art Spiegelman’s classic graphic novel Maus, which was banned last month from the school curriculum in McMinn County, Tennessee.

Division Announcement

On February 10, 2022, President Marsteller announced the structure of the division under the leadership of Vice President for Inclusion and Community Engagement Heather Lobban-Viravong.

Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. with a Weeklong Celebration

Our traditional Day of Service, lightning lectures, and workshops held in conjunction with Perkiomen Valley School District marked the start of the college’s annual MLK Week, a celebration honoring the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.

Championing Digital Equity

Simra Mariam ’21 has been a BIPOC feminist advocate and a professional journalist since she was a teenager. At Ursinus College, she opened the door to a new generation of marginalized writers and artists through an online publication that would become impactful and illustrious: Reclamation Magazine.

MLK Week 2022 to Feature the return of Lightning Talks and the Film 42

The annual Ursinus MLK Week returns beginning January 17, 2022. Join us for Lightning Talks, important conversations, reflection, and the film 42 with Chadwick Boseman. Visit the MLK Website for more information and updated details.

Performer in Transition

Today, Abbie Painter ’23 is a rock star, theater scholarship recipient, psychologist, and non-binary luminary. Eighteen years ago, they were drumming on their dad’s workout equipment. Painter’s evolution since then, especially from 2019 when they stepped on the Ursinus stage, has been a feat of transformation.

Partnership with Delaware Tribe of Indians Moves Forward

Chief Brad KillsCrow and Assistant Chief Jeremy Johnson of the Delaware Tribe of Indians visited campus as part of the Welcome Home Project, a partnership that includes Ursinus College and the Perkiomen Valley School District (PVSD).

“Dual Pandemic” Discussion Group Addresses COVID-19 and Inequity

Thirteen Summer Fellows representing a variety of majors participated in a weekly discussion regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated disparities already present in the U.S. and globally.

What Matters to Us: An Inclusive Community

No community is whole without sharing experiences with people from different backgrounds. Many often ask, “What does it mean to be an Ursinus Bear?” While our connection to the red, old gold, and black is the tie that binds, we aren’t Ursinus without the diverse set of cultures that are cornerstones of our campus.

Early North America: Lori Daggar Assistant Professor of History

The scope of Lori Daggar’s research is as extensive and as complicated as the history of the United States—which is, in fact, just what her book, Cultivating Empire, explores. Daggar’s work focuses on the development of U.S. imperialism in the early 19th century in “Indian Country,” or what is now Ohio and Indiana. In particular, the book project analyzes the work of Quaker missionaries trying to “assimilate the Indians.”

Inventory on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In place of a printed report updated just once per year, the Inclusion Inventory Page of the website provides an ongoing look at inclusion activities throughout the year.

Activist Rev. James Lawson Brings Message of Nonviolence to Virtual Event

The Ursinus College Institute for Inclusion and Equity and Nexus initiative welcomed the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. to a virtual event on Thursday, April 29. The 90-minute event, funded by the Harold C. Smith Foundation, was open to the entire community with more than 100 taking part.

Faculty and Staff Share Ways to Support LGBTQ+ Community During Pride Week

An educational and, at times, moving hour intended to uplift and affirm the LGBTQ+ community—as well as inspire fellow faculty and staff members to adopt some of the suggested practices—was among the many highlights of the Institute for Inclusion and Equity’s annual Pride Week celebration.

Ursinus Vigil to Mark National Day of Mourning

As part of a nation-wide Day of Mourning, disability rights advocates at Ursinus College are holding an online vigil on Monday, March 1, to honor the lives of disabled people who died at the hands of family members and caretakers.

One Book, One Ursinus: Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah

This Spring, the One Book, One Ursinus program is back with Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. The program is open to all! Stay tuned for more information on a virtual panel discussion and program including Ursinus faculty members later this semester.

Virtual Community Conference Explores Invisible Barriers

On Monday, January 25, more than 100 faculty, staff, and students joined together virtually for the annual community conference, which carried the theme, “Breaking Invisible Barriers: Identity & Empowerment.”

Neuroscience Major Starts oSTEM Chapter at Ursinus to Support LGBTQ Students

Ursinus has joined the 100+ colleges and universities nationwide hosting a chapter of oSTEM (Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), a professional association focused on supporting and advancing LGBTQ students in STEM fields.

Celebrating 100 Years of the 19th Amendment

In this election year, it is important to recognize the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

Ursinus Ranked No. 2 on List of Best Colleges for Financial Aid in Pennsylvania

LendEDU, a website that helps consumers learn about and compare financial products such as student loans, has ranked Ursinus No. 2 in Pennsylvania—and No. 31 in the nation—on its list of Best Colleges for Financial Aid in 2020.

Latinx and LGBTQ+ Communities Are Focus of Newest Inclusive Community Fellowships