Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion at PNCA are crucial to our intellectual and aesthetic inquiry

We acknowledge that the land where PNCA is located rests on the traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, bands of the Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. We also acknowledge the systemic policies of genocide, relocation, and assimilation that still impact many Indigenous/Native American families today. As settlers and guests on these lands we respect the work of Native Nations, leaders and families, and make ongoing efforts to center Indigenous knowledge, creativity, resilience, and resistance.

We strive to create a safe and supportive environment that is enriched by variety in voices, work, and perspectives. We know that we are a better community of learners and educators when we have space for a multiplicity of worldviews and experiences.

Thus diversity and inclusion at PNCA are crucial to our intellectual and aesthetic inquiry.

Guided by the principles of ethics and mutual respect, PNCA’s policies and procedures strive to ensure equity and social justice within our community of students, educators, and staff.

Discrimination, harassment, and assault for any reason are unacceptable behavior in the PNCA community.

A platform for experimentation and expression in the arts, PNCA is also a laboratory for critical reflection and dialog that nurtures better, more informed, more critically engaged citizens while it educates emerging artists and designers. An important aspect of our curriculum is building an awareness of and critical culture around issues of power and privilege in order to decolonize our curriculum.

PNCA’s Equity and Social Justice Action Committee (ESJAC) is made up of students, faculty, staff, and board members. The Committee is chaired by Quyen Le, Assistant Director of The International Office. The work of ESJAC to further diversity and inclusion at PNCA is ongoing.

Equity Council is a college wide meeting during lunch established to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community have a platform for their voices. Held three times every semester a space for each of us to confront the obstacles we face to connect with each other and to the resources PNCA provides to ensure the mission, vision, and strategic plan of the college.