A new Diversity and Inclusion website has been launched at Cornell, after a year of diversity professionals from across campus working together.

The website visually reflects the diversity of the Cornell and local community; outlines Cornell's historic commitment to diversity and inclusion; highlights the institutional diversity planning initiative "Toward New Destinations"; and provides a guide to the resources available to staff, faculty, students and alumni.

The section "Finding My Community," for example, captures a multiplicity of voices and personal stories; it also notes opportunities on and off campus for individuals from diverse backgrounds to connect with each other. The "Frequently Asked Questions" section provides the university's definition for diversity and explains how the university is revitalizing its diversity and inclusion efforts to further Cornell's strategic goals.

The website is expected to grow in content, especially over the summer, when it will detail the diversity initiatives that the college and units have chosen for 2012-13 within the "Toward New Destinations" framework. The framework is structured according to four core diversity principles -- demographic composition, engagement, inclusion and achievement -- and, according to the website, "lays the foundation for the university to remain positioned on the leading edge of education and employment through enhancement of a culture that provides for the full participation of all members of [the Cornell] community."

Members of the Cornell community are encouraged to explore the new site at http://www.diversity.cornell.edu -- which is being launched this week in anticipation of the new academic year -- and to revisit it in the fall, when the next steps that the university takes in the areas of diversity and inclusion are added.