Intercultural & Global Office (IGO)
As an expression of IWU-Marion’s commitment to Kingdom diversity and belonging, the Intercultural & Global Office (IGO) is dedicated to the 3 Cs - celebrating diversity, cultivating belonging, and creating opportunities- in our IWU-Marion community.
The 3 Cs approach is accomplished through academic support, student services, and co-curricular events & programs. We envision a vibrant and welcoming community distinguished by a culturally responsive curriculum with campus experiences that reflect our commitment to the multicultural Kingdom of God. In short, because we are all people created in God’s image, we are compelled to welcome all people and cultivate a sense of belonging in a manner that represents Jesus.
As an office, we value:
1. Celebrating Diversity- God celebrates each of our differences that make up the Body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
2. Cultivating Belonging- God has cultivated belonging for each of us in His Kingdom. (1 Peter 2:9)
3. Creating Opportunities- Jesus created opportunities of the fishers of other people. (Matthew 4:18-22)
As an office, we serve the residential campus by providing:
1. Co-curricular Kingdom Diversity Formation and Engagement
The pursuit of Kingdom diversity at IWU–Marion reflects our Wesleyan heritage and deep theological conviction that all people are created in the image of God. We seek to honor the rich variety within the Body of Christ by fostering spaces for learning, understanding, and growth—both in and beyond the classroom—for all students, faculty, and staff. Through biblically grounded intercultural seminars, trainings, and workshops, we aim to cultivate hearts and minds toward Christlike love and unity.
Some of the initiatives in this area are:
• The Intercultural Ambassadors (Student Group)
• Village Assembly (Student Development Collaboration)
• Transition to American College Living - TACL (Orientation)
• Beyond Borders; Isaiah 1:17 Day (Events & Programming)
• The Intercultural Committee (Faculty Group)
2. Collaborative academic support and resources for all students, as well as the overall experience of students from a variety of diverse backgrounds. Rooted in a commitment to Kingdom diversity and the vision of “on earth as it is in heaven,”, this area champions the God-given value and dignity of every individual. IWU seeks to reflect the fullness of God's Kingdom by supporting all students including, but not exclusive to, Third Culture Kids (TCKs), missionary kids (MKs), students of color, first-generation college students, and those from varied socioeconomic backgrounds.
As a reflection of this commitment, initiatives within this area include the following:
• Administrative oversight of the bias reporting response team;
• Administrative oversight of the Luther Lee and Multicultural Endowed initiatives;
• Participation in campus wide retention and support committees;
• Ongoing research on Kingdom diversity and Christian higher education in our curriculum, initiatives, and events.
IWU KINGDOM DIVERSITY STATEMENT
IWU, in covenant with God’s reconciling work and in accordance with Biblical principles of our historic Wesleyan tradition, commits to build a community that reflects Kingdom diversity. We will foster an intentional environment for living, teaching and learning, which exhibits honor, respect, and dignity. Acknowledging visible or invisible differences, our community
