Diversity Defined
Diversity at Purchase College is the commitment to a community of equity and access to its academic and artistic promise through the acceptance of all aspects of human difference. This includes but is not limited to age, disability, race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression and identity, language heritage, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, status as a veteran and worldview. Through collaboration, creativity and inclusion, Purchase College integrates various cultural and social perspectives to engender excellence in the arts and liberal arts and sciences.
Purchase College will not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination and harassment. As part of the SUNY system, Purchase is dedicated to adhering to the guidelines expressed by SUNY in the fact sheet: Committing to a Strong Campus Climate.
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The Purchase College Diversity Plan
In April 2015, the Purchase College Senate voted to adopt The Purchase College Diversity Plan: Strengthening Inclusive Excellence. The plan endorses diversity strategies and implementation specific to the needs and values of the institution and establishes what Purchase already does effectively and then how to build the resources to support, expand, and refine those efforts in sustainable and strategic ways.
For data on diversity at Purchase College, please refer to
Section IV – Diversity on the Purchase College 2018 Fact Book.
SECTION IV – DIVERSITY (Table of Contents)
- Admissions- Trends in Undergraduate Freshmen- Ethnicity by Application Status and Year p. 25
- Admissions- Trends in Undergraduate Freshmen- Ethnicity by Year and Application Status p. 26
- Trends in Ethnicity p. 27
- Graduation Rates by Ethnicity p. 28
- Student Financial Aid Trends Headcounts p. 29
- Student Financial Aid Trends – Retention by Division p. 30
- Student Financial Aid Trends – Retention by Ethnicity p. 31
- Graduation Rates by Financial Aid Cohort p. 32
- Degrees Granted by School and Ethnicity p. 33
The Diversity plan institutes the definition above as the official definition of diversity for the College as well as implements the following strategies and implementation steps:
Institutional Strategies:
- Increase the diversity of the student population by refining established retention programs and services and streamlining their delivery to targeted populations.
- Foster an environment conducive to faculty and staff diversity by developing funds to support diverse faculty and staff recruitment, mentoring, research and scholarship.
- Identify accessibility issues for veterans, individuals with disabilities and all members of the campus community to the curriculum, resources and educational opportunities and collaborate with support offices for solutions.
- Develop administrative processes and financial resources to create new diversity efforts in outreach, programming, recruitment and retention and strengthen existing ones.
Implementation Steps:
- Communicate the role and responsibilities of the Chief Diversity Officer in each institutional strategy.
- Identify and strengthen existing retention and engagement programs and resources for First-Generation Students and Underrepresented Minority Groups.
- Develop diversity performance indicators, dashboard and assessment tools.
For the complete plan, please click on the “Diversity Plan” link on the right.
Religious Observances
Purchase College is committed to ensuring that every student is guaranteed the right to pursue their academic goals while practicing their faith.
Any student who is unable to attend classes on a particular day or days, because of their religious beliefs, shall be excused from any examination or any study or work requirements that they may have missed because of such absence. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the college for making available to the student such equivalent opportunity.
Please note that our religious observances calendar includes only religious holidays that coincide with official Purchase College academic terms, sessions, or modules. The dates on which religious observances occur can vary from year to year. The observances listed are not exhaustive of all religions and their observable holidays. Although daily or weekly religious observances are not listed, we are committed to accommodating students’ needs in accordance with New York State Education Law 224-A.
For more information regarding academic attendance on religious holidays and accommodations, please visit the Office of the Registrar page.