The Inclusive Excellence Podcast returns for a brand-new season, featuring an exciting lineup of guests and highly anticipated conversations. Co-hosts Erin Sember-Chase and Toral Patel kick off season seven with Episode 84: What Does Inclusive Excellence Really Mean?, offering listeners a preview of what’s to come. According to Sember-Chase and Patel, this season will take listeners beyond Cornell’s campus to explore the residents and resources that make up the greater Ithaca community, while diving into fresh, thought-provoking topics that haven’t been explored before. 

“Several guests will discuss both the opportunities and challenges that come with Cornell being situated in a small community. I'm really excited to explore that and help employees and students see the communities they can build outside of campus,” Patel said.

Before outlining what listeners can expect in upcoming episodes, the pair return to their roots by uncovering the true meaning and history of a term that is foundational to the podcast—"inclusive excellence.”

First coined in the mid-2000s by Alma Clayton-Pedersen, “inclusive excellence” was introduced by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to emphasize that diversity and inclusion should be integral to institutional excellence, not separate from it. The concept has since become embedded in businesses, schools and academic institutions nationwide—including at Cornell, where it inspired this podcast and a collection of related programs.

While the framework challenges institutions to ensure everyone can see themselves as part of the organization’s success, Clayton-Pedersen and her colleagues have critiqued the term, suggesting it may inadvertently set unrealistic expectations by linking inclusivity with an ideal of “excellence,” which could feel exclusive. 

“When I think of the word “excellence,” I sometimes start to focus on what people are doing and what they're producing,” Sember-Chase said. “In a place like Cornell, the million-dollar grants and groundbreaking research are clear signs of excellence. There's no question about that. But I think inclusive excellence is more about looking beyond the what and at the who. It’s about asking ourselves: Are we being intentional and thoughtful? Are we looking around to see who is here and who isn’t? Embracing as many different people, backgrounds, talents and skills – that’s when you’re on your way to achieving a true sense of inclusive excellence.” 

As season seven progresses, guests will have the opportunity to provide their own perspectives on what “inclusive excellence” means to them. Listeners can also expect to hear from Cornell leadership, delve into important and timely topics, explore collaborations between community members and employees and hear from a special guest as their time at Cornell comes to a close. 

Tune in every other Friday to hear Erin, Toral and various guests share the unique stories and experiences of Cornellians while addressing some of the most challenging and complex topics currently affecting the workplace. Visit https://diversity.cornell.edu/iepodcast to access the episode and transcript.