Focus Areas & Events

Inclusion Home Initiatives Meet the Teams Contact

At Cate, inclusion work happens at every level through events and opportunities for engagement for our entire community.

From Convocations with leading experts to framework-based facilitated conversations, students, parents, faculty, and alumni engage in dialogue and take active steps toward a more equitable community.

Jump to: Students | Alumni | Faculty & Staff | Parents | Board of Trustees

Students

Cate is dedicated to creating a community that is inclusive, welcoming, and fosters a sense of belonging for all students. Specific programming through curriculum, residential life, and advisory intentionally integrate topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the fabric of a Cate education. Students at Cate are passionate about inclusion work and are collaborators in the efforts happening on the Mesa.

Throughout the year, students have the opportunity to meet in small groups to discuss specific topics around diversity, equity, and inclusion. The conversation is facilitated by a trained faculty member and includes opportunities for reflection as well as dialogue.

Students meet by advisory as well as small, predetermined groups that are curated to include a variety of voices so students can engage in meaningful connections with peers at all levels.

Alumni

Cate alumni are encouraged to participate fully in the ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work that is integral to Cate’s mission. We welcome your participation and feedback in order to strengthen the School’s inclusion initiatives, to improve the campus climate and community for all who call the Mesa home – past, present, and future. Alumni have been active participants in Town Halls, Q&As, Convocations, and identity-based Alumni Mentor Circles.

If you’d like to participate in any of the ongoing Mentor Circles, provide additional feedback, or otherwise engage in alumni inclusion efforts, please contact the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Elana Stone, by email: elana_stone@cate.org.

In the spirit of Servons, Alumni Mentoring Circles provide a structure for alumni to connect with current students with shared identities. Mentoring circles, unlike traditional one-on-one mentoring relationships, provide multiple opportunities for students and alumni to forge connections based on a shared identity. Connect and learn with current students and fellow alumni.

Register for a future Alumni Mentorship Circle

Faculty & Staff

Topics pertaining to inclusion can often be difficult to discuss in group settings. As such, affinity spaces have been an integral tool in creating safe spaces for dialogue. Faculty self-identify the group that feels appropriate based on the topic and their own identities. Affinity group facilitators are equipped with resources and guided questions to provide structure to the space and have the opportunity to report back general recommendations, findings, comments, and questions from the group to inform larger institutional decisions and conversations.

A clear need exists to attract and retain faculty of color at all levels.

To that end, the School has developed a skills-based interview and vetting process that is extensive and incorporates feedback from a wide range of current faculty. Candidates are screened by members of the leadership team with a specific focus on core competencies for the role. Then, finalists are interviewed by peers both within and beyond the position’s base department.

Employment Opportunities

Parents

Creating a sense of belonging matters not only to our students but also to our parents. Our goal is for every parent to feel at home on the Cate campus and be an active participant in the community of the School. Through programming that engages parents across the globe to creating accessible and warm events when on campus, we are always looking for new ways to build community.

During Fall and Spring Family Week, the School facilitates language-based meetups so that parents can meet and mingle with native-speaking peers. Facilitators for the space are also native speakers of the language and are provided with resources to facilitate a meaningful interaction among parents.

Language-based meetups offered include Spanish, Chinese, and Korean.

Board of Trustees

Inclusion work happens at every work at Cate, including the Board of Trustees. The Board has enlisted the help of Jennifer Brown Consulting to guide and support trainings, assessments, and augmentations at the Board level on a regular and ongoing basis.

Focus Areas & Events