Diversity, equity and inclusion

Kansas State University embraces diversity and inclusion. The university actively seeks individuals who foster a collegial environment and cooperative interactions with coworkers, students, and others. No matter your field of expertise or professional goals, K-State offers an unbeatable combination of opportunity and support. K-State has been recognized at the national level for our diversity and inclusion efforts.

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Ernie-Minton As Director of K-State Research and Extension, I am firmly committed to our organization being an equal opportunity provider of programs and employer of individuals. In that spirit here is a message from Sonny Perdue, former USDA secretary stating the department's commitment to Civil Rights. K-State Research and Extension embraces this commitment.

"The hallmark of my tenure as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to do right and feed everyone and I don’t intend for that to be just a hollow creed. This pledge is at the heart of our work, which includes our commitment to protecting the civil rights of all USDA employees and customers.

Doing right means treating all people equally, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, or any other characteristic. We are part of the same human family, imbued with dignity and worthy of respect. I expect every USDA employee to foster a workplace free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation so everyone can reach his or her full potential. Our workplace will be a model for proper enforcement of civil rights protections, not only because it’s the law, but also because it’s the right thing to do.

Feeding everyone means it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, USDA programs are for you. Hunger knows no color or creed. Whether we are responding to disasters with food aid, cultivating sustainable agriculture programs overseas, or improving school meals here at home, at USDA we know food has the power to unite.

When you start with a simple expression of integrity and equality, upholding civil rights and all the freedoms enshrined in our laws is not just compulsory, it becomes intrinsic. For that reason and working together, we will continue to return to our touchstone: Do right … by everyone … and feed everyone."

J. Ernest Minton,

Director of K-State Research and Extension

Equal Opportunity and Accessibility

K-State Research and Extension is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, ancestry, disability, genetic information, military status, or veteran status is prohibited. Program participants may request information in languages other than English. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, including alternative means for communication (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, and American Sign Language) may also be requested. Language access services, such as interpretation and translation of vital information will be provided free of charge to limited English proficient individuals upon request.

To request a disability accommodation, complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form. For those requesting accommodations for a local extension program, please work with the extension agent in your local office to complete this form.
Formal complaints related to discrimination, harassment and bullying can be submitted to KSU’s Office of Institutional Equity.

Inclusion and Diversity Position Statement

Prepared by the KSRE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, January 2021

K-State Research and Extension’s mission is to provide research-based information to all the people of Kansas. In doing so, we are committed to providing equal opportunity in our workforce, programs, services, and activities. We recognize human difference enriches our lives, our work, and the communities across our state, and by committing to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we all become better human beings.

We acknowledge that the work of K-State Research and Extension takes place on Indigenous lands and in Indigenous spaces, and that our disciplines have not been historically and are not currently representative of the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds that make up Kansas, our nation, and our world. The future of our extension disciplines depends on our ability to incorporate emerging, as well as historically marginalized people and perspectives into our research, teaching, and extension work to meet current and future challenges.

Each of us has a personal responsibility to ensure equal opportunity, diversity, and
inclusion is thoroughly understood, aggressively followed, and recognized as an integral part of the support we provide for every educational program developed and delivered, every research project we support, and in every opportunity for employment.

To thrive as an organization, we must cultivate an environment of diversity and inclusion that allows us to have differences of opinions in a climate of openness, mutual respect, and trust. We must operate on the premise that we cannot be effective without being fair and responsive. Let us pledge to enrich a culture that is inclusive and encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable employees and program participants to contribute to their full capability.

View a printable PDF of this statement.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online, at www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-programdiscrimination-complaint-form.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442;

email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider

To learn about important religious liberty protections for beneficiaries of our extension programs and services, visit Notice to Beneficiaries and Prospecitive Beneficiaries.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Equal Opportunity and Accessibility

Inclusion and Diversity Position Statement

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

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Dr. Zelia Z. Wiley

Jennifer Wilson