Occidental College is committed to creating a culture that enables all participants to realize their full intellectual and human potential.

Inspired by the diversity of Los Angeles, we aim to engage and reflect the rich cultural and social resources of our location. To this end, our mission statement names excellence, equity, community, and service as our highest values.

While our understanding of "diversity" is always evolving, we believe that it urges that our students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees include members from different racial, ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, and religious backgrounds, and individuals who bring differences in sexual and gender identity, abledness, and political views. 

Occidental College hopes to build a community that goes beyond a celebration of differences to become one of inclusive excellence where everyone has access to an equitable education. We envision a community that fosters the intellectual stimulation that occurs when diversity is central to a college campus, a community in which we are always challenged to be more tolerant and respectful and to develop a better understanding of our diverse world by learning from others. In this endeavor, we are guided by the shared aspirations of equity, social justice, cultural competence, and engaged citizenship.