Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) strives to support traditionally under-served populations with the goal of achieving academic equity and creating a safe, respectful, and welcoming climate for all students. It also provides cross-cultural programs and activities to support a rich and healthy learning environment.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at RCTC

RCTC recognizes diversity, equity, and inclusion as three distinct, yet interdependent, constructs:

Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It is understanding that each individual is unique, and our individual differences need to be recognized.  These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical/mental ability, religious beliefs, political beliefs or other ideologies.

We believe diversity should be present in all its forms on our campus, within our student body, and amongst the employees of the college. Our diversity should reflect the community that we serve in greater southeastern Minnesota.

Inclusion promotes broad engagement, and shared participation and advances an authentic sense of belonging through safe, positive, and nurturing environments. It is about understanding each other, and moving beyond simple tolerance, to accepting and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual. Inclusion is key to eliminating systemic inequality.

Equity represents the goal of our efforts. RCTC recognizes that equity is not the same as equality, and that diverse populations by definition come to the institution with disparate experiences, circumstances, and preparation. As an open-access institution, we are then called to ensure that students experience success and achieve their goals, despite how they enter RCTC.

This commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity is focused on meeting diverse student and employee interests, as well as regional educational and economic needs. We welcome students of every background and culture!  This is in alignment with Minnesota State’s Equity 2030.

RCTC’s Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Committee

The Equity and Inclusion Strategic Committee is charged by the President to advance policies, strategies, and programs related to increasing academic success for underrepresented students, creating and maintaining a welcoming climate, building a diverse workforce and student body, and incorporating diversity, inclusion, and equity within the curriculum. The Committee, in collaboration with internal and external partners, will hold RCTC as an institution accountable for making continued progress towards a culture supportive of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

To learn more about Equity and Inclusion at RCTC, contact Teresa Brown, Vice President of Student Affairs, at teresa.brown@rctc.edu or by phone at 507-285-7217.