Quick Facts

• Graduate students engage with 5 workshops of their choice, ranging from 90-120 minutes, whenever it best fits in their schedule! 
• Workshops can be completed over any timeframe of graduate enrollment with the University of Rhode Island – finish in one semester, or over the course of your academic career! 
• Workshops are highly interactive, with lecture, discussion, and activities to engage critical thinking, problem solving, and foster community connection! 
• All workshops are hosted over Zoom, for the easiest accessibility to our graduate student population! 

About

The Diversity & Inclusion Bade Program (DIBP) is a customizable micro-credential aligned with URI’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice goals. The mission of the DIBP is to enable URI’s graduate students to grow their leadership edge and gain a competitive edge in the job market by earning a microcredential.DIBP offers graduate-level professional development workshops that emphasize the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for intercultural competence in a variety of environments.

To earn the micro-credential, participants must complete five workshops including Fundamentals of Diversity: Social Identity, Power, and Privilege and four additional workshops before graduation.

Students proudly wear their Diversity and Inclusion Badge pin to their graduation ceremony!

These badges show that our graduate students take time to critically reflect and engage with equity and inclusion, and know how to be strong allies and advocates for others in a professional and academic environment. Our students complete their micro-credential with preparation to interact with others from backgrounds different from their own, and are prepared to be strong members of society with critical thinking skills and knowledge about advocacy. 

Program Objectives

All DIBP workshops emphasize one or more of the following Program Objectives:

• Analyzing both the concept of the social construction of difference as well as manifestations of this concept within the U.S.  
• Analyzing some aspects of identity development, explicit and implicit prejudice, inequality, privilege, and oppression as they relate to the U.S.  
• Analyzing some aspects of the impact of discrimination and inequalities in the U.S.
• Applying knowledge of effective problem solving or conflict resolution skills related to diversity and inclusion in order to respond to real-life situations.
• Analyzing how and why the perspective of people from marginalized groups in the U.S. are different from that of other groups of people.
• Choosing and using appropriate communication styles to engage in difficult dialogues related to diversity and inclusion.

Feedback from Grad Students

“I feel much more confident in how to be an ally in all spaces that I occupy, both professionally and personally.”

DIBP Grad Student (Spring, 2024)

“I liked being able to hear from other students of different backgrounds.”

DIBP Grad Student (Fall, 2025)

“The facilitator did a very nice job of acknowledging comments and providing more thoughts, guiding questions, or prompts to continue the discussion.”

DIBP Grad Student (Fall, 2021)

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