Diversity Initiatives

TRIO Achievement Program

The TRIO Achievement Program helps first-generation and income-eligible Luther students make the most of their college experience and reach their potential. The program positions and empowers participants to thrive at Luther College by providing holistic, individualized support and comprehensive programming that promotes their academic success, personal development, and sense of community.

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation/IINspire

Luther College is a member of The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation/IINspire (Iowa Illinois Nebraska STEM Partnership for Innovation in Research and Education) Alliance—a group of Midwest schools funded by the National Science Foundation to provide research opportunities, stipends, and mentoring for undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups intending to earn baccalaureate degrees in STEM (Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering) fields.

AMC-CIC Mellon Faculty Fellowships

On the Associated Colleges of the Midwest website, they state, "At the post-graduate level, ACM-CIC Mellon Faculty Fellowships offer tenure-track appointments at one of the ACM colleges to new Ph.D. or terminal master's degree graduates whose backgrounds and life experiences will enhance diversity on the ACM campuses and who have recently earned their graduate degree, preferably from a CIC institution. There will be 30 Faculty Fellow appointments in the humanities, humanistic social sciences, or the arts over the seven years of the grant." As an ACM institution, Luther College seeks Faculty Fellow appointments "in the humanities, humanistic social sciences, or the arts over the seven years of the grant" with an aim to enhance the diversity of new faculty, while also enhancing the careers of the Fellows and teaching programs of Luther.

Summer Bridge Programs (pre-college)

Luther College offers a Summer Science Symposium and Teacher Education Seminar, designed to provide an intensive summer experience for students who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education. Specifically, the program is targeted to ethnic minority students and/or first-generation college students who show great promise for college entrance and eventual service to their professions and communities. The Summer Seminars began in 1995 to provide a challenging experience for students interested in careers in the sciences or business. The intensive six-day program is designed to provide students with hands-on experiences, work with professors and Luther College students on real research projects, participate in classes, laboratories, and co-curricular activities.

Friendship Families

The International Student Friendship Family Program is a program that links new international students with individuals or families in the Luther College and Decorah area communities. The goal of the program is to promote international understanding and friendship, develop an appreciation of how others live and view the world, and assist new students in the process of adjustment to Luther College and the United States. Students and their Friendship Families gather in informal settings and learn about life in the U.S. and Iowa, and about the home culture of the student. The friendship that grows between a student and his or her Friendship Family can promote diversity and cultural awareness that will last a lifetime.

Catalyze from College Possible

The Catalyze program is designed as a collaborative effort between the non-profit organization, College Possible, and participating colleges and universities. College Possible utilizes near-peer (recent college graduate) coaches who work at college campuses and interact directly with students who live and study there. Catalyze coaches support students as a resource for questions and concerns. They use a structured curriculum to help students get the most out of their four years, and actively build a community of support which is invested in student success.