AN INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Research shows that being around people who are different from us can make us more creative, diligent and productive. It also points to diverse teams and organisations being more innovative and adaptable.

But organisations only experience these benefits if their culture is inclusive – and allows people to interact openly and develop their best possible selves.

So our aim is always to create a safe, positive and open-minded environment. We want our school to empower all learners to build on their strengths. And we want it to inspire students to recognise and appreciate difference as a source of insight.

Our DEI strategy and committee

Our DEI committee helps us to implement diversity initiatives – and reports on them.

Principles of our DEI strategy

  • We value people for who they are
  • We focus on what they bring to the table - and how they contribute to the school’s culture and purpose
  • We work actively and intentionally
  • We contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion
  • And we benefit from it

Our DEI Committee

  • Enhance collective understanding of what it means to work in a diverse environment
  • Foster an environment where students, faculty and colleagues can thrive
  • Establish ongoing equity analytics and auditing
  • Initiate or provide support for inclusivity activities throughout the school
  • A core team comprising faculty and colleagues representing different areas of the school
  • An extended consulting team
  • Workshops
  • Self-paced journeys
  • White papers
  • In-company projects
  • Podcasts
  • And more

In 2020, we launched a DEI Code of Conduct for all our degree students. Its purpose is to make sure our learning environments:

  • Welcome and include people of all genders, races, ages, nationalities, languages, orientations, beliefs and mental and physical abilities
  • Give all students equal opportunities to learn and participate – and feel safe doing so
  • Provide a community where everyone knows their unique contribution matters

Our inclusive admissions process

To reduce the possibility of bias, we standardise all interviews.

Diverse representation in the classroom

In executive education and our degree programmes, we make sure the mix of participants and faculty is diverse and inclusive. We include professors and speakers from diverse backgrounds – and we use materials that are diverse and stimulate inclusion. At the same time, our marketing and sales materials reflect our diverse learning environments.

Improving diversity

At the end of each academic year, we ask all degree students to complete a DEI survey. This helps us to better understand the needs of students – and to keep improving Vlerick so that it’s a place where everyone feels at home.

We want to keep track of – and promote – diversity in all of our programmes, starting with understanding gender balance and mix of nationalities.

Scholarships and grants

We invest 3% of our turnover in encouraging more people to live their dreams, learn and take their next leap. We aim to monitor the amounts we invest in scholarships – and increase them in the future. Providing this support is also possible through the generosity of donors.

“

When I entered our family business, my father passed away. At Vlerick, I was surrounded by alumni and professors who really helped me in those early days. I thought it would be wonderful if we could fund scholarships on a regular basis for students who normally wouldn’t have the possibility to study at Vlerick.”

— Michel Moortgat, CEO of Duvel Moortgat Vlerick alumnus and donor

“

I've been luckier in my life than I could ever have imagined. And I think that, when you have this kind of luck, you have to share it. Redistribution of luck cannot only happen through taxes.

I started giving back to Vlerick many years ago. One of my passions is helping entrepreneurs succeed. Maybe because I’m not an entrepreneur myself. Vlerick is one of the best schools in the world to help kindle entrepreneurship.

I believe every alumnus has the societal responsibility to give back to the School. It's a way to say ‘thank you’ and also let others benefit from Vlerick’s ability to shape them. But it's not very traditional in Europe because education is managed by government, and we're seeing the limits of that... We talk about changing the world, about a green planet. But that won’t come from legislation. It will come from businesses and leaders who want to lead a company with a clear purpose, who want to contribute to a greener planet.”

— Roch Doliveux, Chair of the Board, Oxford Biomedica