A Diverse, Inclusive, and Connected Community at Northeastern
A Diverse, Inclusive, and Connected Community at Northeastern
A Message from the Founder
At Northeastern University, we aim to emulate the rich cultural tapestry of the world in which we exist by building a diverse community where all members can thrive and belong. That’s why I’m asking you to reconnect with us, take part in a unique effort, and help the community come together for the Village of Belonging.
The Village will serve multiple purposes:
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It fosters connections and reconnections within the Northeastern community
- It will be a space where people can simply sit, talk, and process what they are feeling and experiencing.
- It will energize and unite existing groups and resources so they can be championed by people like you.
Across Northeastern’s entire global university system, we’re passionate about supporting and elevating students, alumni, and others of diverse origins, cultures, religions, and life experiences. Though our efforts weren’t always so robust and organized, they support what makes Northeastern such a rich, inclusive environment today: the people.
Find your place in our Village of Belonging.
Sincerely,
Jennifer D. Barrymore
Vice President, Advancement Resources
A Message from the Founder
At Northeastern University, we aim to emulate the rich cultural tapestry of the world in which we exist by building a diverse community where all members can thrive and belong. That’s why I’m asking you to reconnect with us, take part in a unique effort, and help the community come together for the Village of Belonging.
The Village will serve multiple purposes:
-
It fosters connections and reconnections within the Northeastern community
- It will be a space where people can simply sit, talk, and process what they are feeling and experiencing.
- It will energize and unite existing groups and resources so they can be championed by people like you.
Across Northeastern’s entire global university system, we’re passionate about supporting and elevating students, alumni, and others of diverse origins, cultures, religions, and life experiences. Though our efforts weren’t always so robust and organized, they support what makes Northeastern such a rich, inclusive environment today: the people.
Find your place in our Village of Belonging.
Sincerely,
Jennifer D. Barrymore
Vice President, Advancement Resources
Support the Village of Belonging
Please consider supporting the Village through philanthropy, ensuring thriving programming, lifechanging scholarships, and meaningful events that bring people together and promote a connected Northeastern community. You can click here to give to one of Northeastern’s cultural centers or make a gift to one of the funding opportunities below.
Village of Belonging Fund
By making a gift to the Village of Belonging Fund, you provide support for the programming and initiatives of the Village. The fund will provide resources for speaker fees, travel and lodging for students, faculty, and staff to supported events, support for Northeastern’s cultural centers, and emergency support for students.
The Bridge Scholars Program Fund
Your gift to the Bridge Scholars Program provides support to students specifically identifying as Asian, Black/African American, Indigenous (Native American, Native Hawaiian, Alaskan Native), Latinx, or a multiethnic background who are coming to Northeastern University.
Ghana Dialogue Fund
By making a gift to the John D. O’Bryant Ghana Dialogue Fund, you can provide financial support for students to participate in the Ghana Dialogue. This fund will provide resources so members of the African American Institute’s Legacy and Ujima Global Leaders and Torch Scholars can take part.
A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Reconnect, inform, elevate
No matter your race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, you want to belong—to form part of a community where the whole is greater than the individuals. That’s what the Village of Belonging does at Northeastern, connecting and reconnecting people, providing a supportive space where you all fit in, and leveraging the immense power of Northeastern’s centers and institutes devoted to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
As we look to actively promote and celebrate the uniqueness of each of these communities, the Village of Belonging helps do that, while also providing engagement efforts to reconnect alumni and foster relationships between students and others in the Northeastern network from diverse backgrounds and groups. It also increases awareness of opportunities for students within the university ecosystem and beyond.
Here are some actions you can take to support the Village of Belonging now:
Join our email list
Sign up to receive the Village of Belonging newsletter! Get news about resources, events, opportunities for engagement, and more, right in your inbox.
Attend an upcoming event
- February 2 and March 22, Africana Studies Bell Hooks Symposia in Boston and Oakland
- February 9 and February 10, Lunar New Year events in Seattle, Boston, and New York City
- March 7 through March 9, Global Leadership Summit in Singapore
“Northeastern is a vibrant community powered by diverse connections and united in the belief that we all emerge stronger when every member is welcomed and supported. The Village of Belonging will serve as a vital link to programs, people, places, and experiences that empower our students and alumni with a sense of connection and community across our dynamic global network.”
Diane Nishigaya MacGillivray
Senior Vice President
University Advancement
“Northeastern is a vibrant community powered by diverse connections and united in the belief that we all emerge stronger when every member is welcomed and supported. The Village of Belonging will serve as a vital link to programs, people, places, and experiences that empower our students and alumni with a sense of connection and community across our dynamic global network.”
Diane Nishigaya MacGillivray
Senior Vice President
University Advancement
“When I enrolled in the Summer Bridge program the summer of 2021, I had no idea of the impact it would have on my journey at Northeastern. Before I even set foot on campus for the first time, I found a supportive community, gained essential preparation, and felt truly valued. Through the Summer Bridge program, I learned about classes I would be taking, organizations I could join, how to balance academics, and what student life was like. I made lasting connections with peers and faculty and had a ton of fun!
“Inspired by my experience in the program, I have returned each summer to contribute as a peer mentor—in the first college-wide, in-person summer of 2022 and now as the lead peer mentor for the D’Amore-McKim School of Business in 2023. Summer Bridge is a little family at Northeastern, and I’m forever thankful for the program’s community, value, and the genuine care it provides.”
—Amelia Brooks, DMSB’25
“Summer Bridge helped me not only find some of my closest friends and connections, but has also ignited my passion for mentorship. As the program has continually showed me, both as a scholar and mentor, everyone has a story, and it’s so important that we listen to one another to build a sense of belonging here on campus. I hope to keep this sentiment in mind through all my future endeavors, and work to help everyone find their place here!”
—Olivia Minutillo, S’26
“Being a Summer Bridge mentor for incoming Northeastern freshmen identifying as first generation or of color was a wonderful opportunity to create a more inclusive environment for an easier transition to college. As a nursing student, I found that the program made me reevaluate and assess the impact of diversity and equity across multiple cultures within the healthcare field and in standard education curriculums.”
—Rachel Li, N’25
Keep up on Village of Belonging news
“The Village of Belonging embodies Northeastern’s commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive community where individuals of all identities, backgrounds, and experiences can thrive, have a strong sense of belonging, and achieve academic, research, and professional success.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is delighted about the formation of the Village of Belonging, and we look forward to working together to forge, engage, and activate the growing alumni network.”
Karl Reid
Senior Vice Provost and Chief Inclusion Officer
Check out the resources to support you
Northeastern’s cultural centers are essential to educating across differences and empowering connections as they work to facilitate inclusivity, equity, justice, and discovery.
The Asian American Center. Individual growth is at the core of the college experience, and this center provides an environment where Asian American students can explore all facets of their social identity and take an active role in shaping their experiences at Northeastern.
The John D. O’Bryant African American Institute. For more than 50 years, this institute has provided resources that build Black students’ sense of community on campus, throughout the Northeastern network, and beyond.
The Latinx Student Cultural Center. This center provides a home where Latinx students share their achievements and challenges, as well as their culture, and it inspires and advocates for their academic, personal, and professional development.
The LGBTQA Resource Center. Established in 2011, this center initiates and sustains services and programs that enrich the holistic development of Northeastern’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual students, and their allies.
The Mills Institute at Northeastern University. Created to preserve and advance the legacy of Mills College, the Mills Institute supports female and nonbinary leaders and helps BIPOC and first-generation students become agents of change in a global, multicultural society.
The Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service. This center offers transformative experiences of spiritual exploration, interreligious dialogue, and service learning across Northeastern’s global campus network.
The Social Justice Resource Center. A hub of innovative, justice-minded thinking, collaboration, and action, this center seeks to be an empowering place for all who visit it.
The Center for Intercultural Engagement. This center fosters a sense of belonging for all students at Northeastern by centering historically marginalized individuals and communities.
The Office of Global Services. The Office of Global Services (OGS) is an active resource to over 20,000 international students and scholars from 147 different nations across the world.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging resources are available in each of Northeastern’s schools and colleges, as well as the athletics department:
- The Bouvé College of Health Sciences
- The College of Arts, Media and Design
- The College of Engineering
- The College of Science
- The College of Social Sciences and Humanities
- The College of Professional Studies
- The D’Amore-McKim School of Business
- The Khoury College of Computer Sciences
- Northeastern University Athletics
- The School of Law
Check out the resources to support you
Northeastern’s cultural centers are essential to educating across differences and empowering connections as they work to facilitate inclusivity, equity, justice, and discovery.
The Asian American Center. Individual growth is at the core of the college experience, and this center provides an environment where Asian American students can explore all facets of their social identity and take an active role in shaping their experiences at Northeastern.
The John D. O’Bryant African American Institute. For more than 50 years, this institute has provided resources that build Black students’ sense of community on campus, throughout the Northeastern network, and beyond.
The Latinx Student Cultural Center. This center provides a home where Latinx students share their achievements and challenges, as well as their culture, and it inspires and advocates for their academic, personal, and professional development.
The LGBTQA Resource Center. Established in 2011, this center initiates and sustains services and programs that enrich the holistic development of Northeastern’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual students, and their allies.
The Mills Institute at Northeastern University. Created to preserve and advance the legacy of Mills College, the Mills Institute supports female and nonbinary leaders and helps BIPOC and first-generation students become agents of change in a global, multicultural society.
The Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service. This center offers transformative experiences of spiritual exploration, interreligious dialogue, and service learning across Northeastern’s global campus network.
The Social Justice Resource Center. A hub of innovative, justice-minded thinking, collaboration, and action, this center seeks to be an empowering place for all who visit it.
The Center for Intercultural Engagement. This center fosters a sense of belonging for all students at Northeastern by centering historically marginalized individuals and communities.
The Office of Global Services. The Office of Global Services (OGS) is an active resource to over 20,000 international students and scholars from 147 different nations across the world.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging resources are available in each of Northeastern’s schools and colleges, as well as the athletics department:
- The Bouvé College of Health Sciences
- The College of Arts, Media and Design
- The College of Engineering
- The College of Science
- The College of Social Sciences and Humanities
- The College of Professional Studies
- The D’Amore-McKim School of Business
- The Khoury College of Computer Sciences
- Northeastern University Athletics
- The School of Law