Commitment to Cultural Equity & Belonging

New England Conservatory is committed to providing a safe environment for learning, working, and performing where all members of the community are valued and respected and can reach their personal and artistic potential.

Believing that a vital and diverse community is built on the respect of individuals, NEC fosters an atmosphere of intellectual and artistic freedom, and encourages the open exchange of ideas and creative initiatives. Learning at NEC is an active process that is encouraged and supported by common respect for the talents and potential of each member of the community. An essential part of an NEC education is gaining a deep appreciation of the traditions and cultures from which music originates.

Systemic racism, unconscious bias, and white supremacy generate countless imbalances of equity, equality, and access. It doesn’t matter whether these imbalances are unintentional; what does matter is that we as an institution take action to identify them, understand their impact, and intentionally dismantle and reset them.

We must examine ourselves, and systematically advance respect, equity, and justice—within NEC first, throughout our field more broadly, and ultimately across society.

Here, we will share Cultural Equity and Belonging (CEB) resources to inform our practice, the systematic and comprehensive process NEC is taking and will share frequent and transparent communication about CEB progress at NEC.

Center for Cultural Equity and Belonging

The Center for CEB has four key pillars: Learning, Dialogue, Collaboration and Support & Resources. The CEB pillars outline the type of programming and offerings that the Center for CEB will share with the NEC Community, and embodies the cycle of praxis (discovery, action and reflection) that will inform the development of our CEB practice at NEC. 

To get involved, or to book a time to share CEB-related concerns/experiences, please contact Monique Van Willingh, Director of Cultural Equity & Belonging at monique.vanwillingh@necmusic.edu

Monique Van Willingh

Director of Cultural Equity and Belonging

Anti-Discrimination Policy

New England Conservatory does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic make-up, or veteran status in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, employment policies, scholarship and loan programs or other Conservatory-sponsored activities.

View the Equal Opportunity Policy and the Non-Discrimination Policy 

Title IX Policy

Policy on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual- or Gender-Based Discrimination and Harassment

Allegations of sexual misconduct involving any member of the NEC community may be reported to:

Katrina Chapman
Counsel and Director of Compliance
Title IX Coordinator
617-585-7043

View the full Title IX Policy

Reporting a Student Concern

NEC reviews reports of bias-related events, incidents, behavior or actions and supports restorative and educational responses to address the individual, collective, and institutional impacts. To learn more or file a report, follow this link.