Diversity & Inclusion at NLU

UNITY Commons

Located adjacent to the Student Center in 122 S. Michigan, the Unity Commons is NLU’s dedicated space for community and diversity; a place to host our collective work towards social and racial equality. Here, NLU provides a dedicated forum for living our values of diversity and equity, and building a culture of inclusion by exhibiting art, hosting speakers and events, and advance courageous dialogues. By utilizing the Unity Commons as both a safe space and a brave space, the NLU community can explore different aspects of identity and learn about themselves while honoring differences. Any NLU community member can reserve the Unity Commons by emailing studentengagement@nl.edu.

DEI Council

The NLU DEI Council is charged by President Nivine Megahed with building a shared understanding across the institution around why diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) matter, and what it means to live out our values and mission of DEI at NLU. 

Centro de Excelencia at NLU

The Centro de Excelencia serves the hub for programs and initiatives that advance our work as a community and career focused Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), a federal designation NLU earned in 2016 from the U.S. Department of Education. We are proud of this designation and its contribution to living our values of diversity and equity, and to building a culture of inclusion. Currently, 40% of our undergraduate students identify as Latinx, and as our Latinx enrollment has grown, so has our commitment to address the needs of both undergraduate and graduate Latinx students through distinctive and innovative programs and resources.

Illinois Equity in Attainment Initiative

NLU’s Equity Plan is a 5-year plan designed to advance our vision to be a national leader in driving equity in bachelor's degree attainment and employment. Drafted as part of the Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) Initiative organized by the Partnership of College Completion (PCC), our Equity Plan is a strategic guide for increasing completion rates with interim performance indicators for target student populations (Black, Latinx, Pell) across First-Time Freshman and Transfer students for 2020-2025. Read the NLU ILEA Summary (pdf) and NLU’s full Equity Plan here.