Diversity

The freedom to be yourself

We believe that in our academic community you should have the freedom to be yourself. Inclusiveness and diversity are core values for the University, and they are promoted and monitored by our Diversity Officer and Diversity Office. Our LGBT+ Network and other networks also play an important role at the University.

DIFFERENCES ARE A MAJOR ASSET Our university community is diverse in many ways. We differ from one another in our ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, health, religion, age, socio-economic background and more. This is a major asset. We want our University to be an open community in which everyone feels at home and has equal opportunities. This is not always a given, which is why the University pursues an active diversity policy.

DIVERSITY OFFICER Leiden University was the fi rst Dutch university to appoint a Diversity Officer, in 2014. Our Diversity Officer, Aya Ezawa, and the Diversity Office promote an open community with equal opportunities for all. Sharing their expertise with the faculties, offering training and holding an annual Diversity Symposium for students are some of the ways by which they achieve this.

LGBT+ NETWORK The University’s LGBT+ Network helps people feel welcome and at home in the University community. It is a platform for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer students and staff at the University. The key aim of the LGBT+ Network is to promote the inclusion of its target group, but everyone – students, staff and alumni – is welcome at its events, such as lectures, fi lm evenings, debates and so on.

WOMEN’S NETWORK The Sophia Women’s Network aims to create equal opportunities and a better working environment for female academic staff at Leiden University, and the University itself intends to appoint more women to higher posts. It is pursuing a policy to increase the percentage of female professors at the University. This has now risen to almost 30%.