The State System of Higher Education is committed to creating environments in which difference is not merely tolerated but celebrated, communities which are characterized by common goals and values, mutual, respect and responsibility. Through community, the system universities will advance from the ideal of diversity to the ideal of pluralism, attaining the interdependent goals of equity and excellence. Our policy is to challenge everyone at our universities to be actively involved in the creation of a welcoming, nurturing climate in which students, staff and faculty develop and flourish personally and professionally. This will promote understanding, tolerance, respect for others and, ultimately, community; it also will better prepare system graduates to be productive, contributing members of an increasingly diverse society and workforce.