“Growing together: Celebrating diversity and fostering inclusion” - University of Groningen

‘Growing’ refers to the university getting older as well as growing or developing in numbers and in different ways. Growing evokes also how academia cultivates and nurtures new ideas as seeds of innovation. There is power in growing 'together'; it unites us, strengthens our bonds and provide us with a sense of belonging. Togetherness plays a very important role in achieving societal change as well. The verb ‘celebrate’ was chosen to make a reference to the festive aspect of the anniversary (lustrum celebration), but is also accompanying the word ‘diversity’ to signify that diversity should not merely be tolerated, but should instead be celebrated. Diversity encompasses the dimensions of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, abilities, religious beliefs, amongst other ideologies. For us, diversity means respect, acceptance and celebration of these rich dimensions represented within each person. We also chose to add ‘inclusion’ as we contend that inclusion is not a natural consequence of diversity but something we should strive for, something we should actively 'foster'.