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Expansive Empathy

Bold yellow and red graphic with text on the left reading: “Cultivate a Culture of EXPANSIVE EMPATHY.” On the right, a diverse group of speakers engage an audience during a community conversation, seated in a sunlit room with large windows.

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Letter From The Dean 
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The Four Commitments:
Transformative Thinking 
Boundless Creativity 
Expansive Empathy 
Meaningful Futures

ARHU IS COMMITTED TO CULTIVATING A SPIRIT OF INCLUSIVITY and belonging at UMD by building empathy across our various academic and artistic spaces. We define “empathy” as the capacity to understand and connect with the experiences of others in all their differences, a skill the arts and humanities cultivate through deep engagement with diverse perspectives, cultures, languages, and stories.

To make a difference in society, we begin by cultivating empathy—first within our diverse ARHU community and then extending it outward. Through our disciplines and centers, we deepen understanding of global histories and cultures, immigrant experiences, and the rich complexity of individual lives. At a time transformed by constant technological change, ARHU reaffirms what it means to be human, centering belonging, connection, and understanding.

We acknowledge that this journey may at times be uncomfortable and difficult, but that it is essential nonetheless and crucial to our investment in people and communities. Our commitment to empathy is “expansive,” meaning it is ongoing and evolving across time and space.

A panel of five speakers sits at the front of a bright room during a campus discussion. One participant in a turquoise top speaks while gesturing, as audience members seated in rows listen attentively.

 

ARHU_Large_AnaPatriciaRodríguez2_StrategicPlan

Dean Stephanie Shonekan sits on a panel of six Black women scholars, speaking into a microphone. The group is engaged in discussion during an academic event, with books and water bottles on the table in front of them.

Goals

  1. Celebrate and elevate the range of diversity within ARHU, creating programs and spaces that honor and reflect the experiences, identities, histories, and contributions of our community.
  2. Foster an inclusive and globally engaged ARHU community by deepening our understanding of diverse experiences, strengthening local and global partnerships, expanding opportunities for meaningful community connections, and developing programming that fosters cross-cultural dialogue and engagement.
  3. Advance equity across the college by demonstrating our commitment to fair treatment, inclusive practices, and equitable access to resources and opportunities.
A woman sits on the floor of a classroom, holding open a colorful children’s book showing a girl reaching for bananas. Young children sit around her, engaged and attentive, symbolizing ARHU’s commitment to education and storytelling.

Strategies

  1. Create and expand intentional spaces to regularly hear from the community, ensuring all voices— especially those from underrepresented groups—are included.
  2. Emphasize the importance of learning languages and global engagement.
  3. Increase the number and diversity of global study abroad programs.
  4. Develop and implement a plan for coordinated community engagement whereby we connect meaningfully with organizations and communities in Prince George’s County, e.g., through internships, experiential learning, and service opportunities.
  5. Develop and grow programming and activities at the Frederick Douglass Center for Leadership Through the Humanities to nurture and attract leaders and changemakers.