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Lamp Post and Plants

The Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) works to create a strong community by valuing and engaging the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of our students, faculty, and staff in order to cultivate collaboration, innovation, and leadership on campus and beyond. Our office also addresses issues of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct to ensure compliance with local and federal civil rights laws. Our aim is to live out our values of inclusive excellence by leading with conviction, modeling compassion, and inspiring efforts that build a better world for all of us.

Dialogue Across Differences


This program aims to promote and model AU’s key values of respectful inquiry, critical thinking, active listening, and principled changemaking through a series of campus events, programs, and learning opportunities.

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Nkenge Friday

AU Names New VP of Inclusive Excellence

Dr. Nkenge Friday is a national diversity and inclusion leader and a higher education educator with a background supporting and leading university-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and operations.
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4

National Awards for Inclusive Excellence

131 plus

Cultural and inclusive excellence-focused student clubs and organizations

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AU Faculty & Staff Affinity Groups

Stay Connected

The OIE office can be reached at ie@american.edu with general questions, ideas, or opportunities for collaboration. To report an incident of bias, discrimination, harassment or sexual misconduct, please access the reporting form. If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or call the AU Police Emergency Line at 202-885-3636.