The Center for Cultural Equity and Belonging (CEB) at NEC partners with each institutional department and engages stakeholders throughout our organization to collaboratively shift beliefs, behaviors, and practices so that members of our community can thrive and realize their full educational and professional potential. Our work supports change on a personal, professional, and institutional level through learning, professional development, and mutual understanding. In all we do, our institutional core values will guide us along the way.
Our Four Pillars:
Dialogue: By ensuring brave and safe exchanges between individuals and groups of different cultures, points of view and aspirations, intercultural dialogue ensures that cultural diversity is a resource, rather than a risk, for sustainable progress towards our goals. Recognizing the power of listening and sharing in our first phase of work, stakeholders across the campus are eager to share knowledge, find inspiration and exchange ideas to further intercultural dialogue while providing new opportunities to enhance their own impact and expand their collaboration with others.
Learning: Despite the shift towards diversity, equity, and inclusion over the years, little has been understood about the systemic barriers embedded throughout the institution and society. It is within this context that the institution engaged several experts, building upon their knowledge to address our deficits in understanding the issues and teaching us how to move forward. We will design a sequential pathway of learning and invite the entire NEC Community to participate in meaningful ways.
Resources and Support: As well as furthering our knowledge base on these and relevant topics, we will provide a physical and virtual space for members of our community to regularly connect with the CEB team to record, inspire, share and exchange innovative and impactful action on intercultural dialogue.
Collaboration: We believe collaboration is the key to achieving our goals on cultural equity and belonging at NEC. The other three pillars to our Center for CEB are critical to driving and instigating meaningful change, however not one person can bring about the changes we seek without the help of the entire community facilitating those efforts.
