Emerging Trend: The Chief Diversity Officer Phenomenon within Higher Education

Wilson, Jeffery L.

doi:10.7709/jnegroeducation.82.4.0433

Cited by 37 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…In recent years, settler universities have expressed the importance of student, faculty, and staff diversity on campuses and made commitments to student learning in diverse environments in response to scholarly critiques (Hurtado et al, 2012). There has also been a proliferation of hiring campus diversity officers to address such issues, including Native personnel (Francis-Begay, 2013;Wilson, 2013). However, how American…”

Section: Contemporary Relationships Between American Indians and Settler Universitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, the growing nationwide movement to address campus diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) in response to institutional inequities to remedy these issues makes the issue of American Indian educational attainment all the more apparent. In recent years, there has been a boom in hiring campus diversity officers to address campus DIE issues (Wilson, 2013). Some of these efforts have included Native student affairs personnel or tribal liaisons tasked with the sole responsibility of serving students or engaging communities (Francis-Begay, 2013).…”

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confidence: 99%

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“We Can Do Better”: University Leaders Speak to Tribal-University Relationships

Stewart-Ambo

2021

American Educational Research Journal

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Wielding degrees of influence within educational organizations, university leaders are critical in determining how institutions enact their espoused missions and support severely marginalized campus communities. How do universities address and improve educational outcomes for the most severely underrepresented communities? This article presents emergent findings from an illustrative multiple-case study that examined the relationships between two public universities and local American Indian nations in California. As a preliminary step in understanding the present state of “tribal-university relationships,” I present findings on university leaders’ perceptions and knowledge regarding American Indians broadly and relationships with local Native nations specifically. Using tribal critical race theory as an analytical framework, I posit how colonization, federal recognition, and educational practices affect curricular, political, and economic relationships.

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Section: Contemporary Relationships Between American Indians and Settler Universitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

“We Can Do Better”: University Leaders Speak to Tribal-University Relationships

Stewart-Ambo

2021

American Educational Research Journal

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“…Although there is little attention to CWO roles in the extant literature, it is possible to apply literature and theoretical frameworks used in understanding the emergence of other niche executive roles that tackle complex issues facing higher education. Particularly instructive to this study was the significant scholarship on chief diversity officer (CDO) emergence (Leon, 2014;Pennamon, 2017;Williams & Wade-Golden, 2007;Wilson, 2013). Williams and Wade-Golden's (2007) seminal study presented rich descriptions of drivers for role emergence, role definition, institutional conditions that facilitated or inhibited success, organizational capabilities, vertical configuration and other structural considerations, and barriers to effectiveness.…”

Section: Review Of Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…University presidents have added niche administrative positions to the C-suite before, such as chief diversity officer (CDO) or chief information officer (CIO), to address particular issues (Arnold & Kowalski-Braun, 2012;Leon, 2014;Marks, 2011;Williams & Wade-Golden, 2007;Wilson, 2013). The designation of a CWO position is an example of how higher education is responding to new well-being challenges and opportunities in a way that disrupts the status quo of traditional wellness program structures so that the work can be elevated and scaled up.…”

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confidence: 99%

Making the Case for a University Senior Wellness Officer

Fox

2021

Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice

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Using case study data about the emergence of the university chief wellness officer (CWO), this article discusses the purpose of this niche executive role. Borrowing from corporate wellness models, universities charge this senior leader to improve population health for faculty, staff, and students and promote organizational cultures that value well-being. Findings include participant perspectives on the impetus for the CWO role, key position responsibilities, and organizational response to the changes created by this structural innovation.

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“…chief) diversity office and particularly the specific impetuses that prompt institutions to appoint a chief diversity officer. In one study, Wilson (2013) studied seven currently appointed chief diversity officers. One of the findings of that study illustrated that the hiring of a CDO may have been associated with perceptions of the campus climate and the need for institutions to respond to campus change.…”

Section: Chief and Senior Diversity Administratorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structuring Diversity: Chief Diversity Offices as Structural Responses to a Cultural Issue

Parker

2019

JSPTE

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Aim/Purpose: Higher education has faced increasing perceptions, mainly by students, of unwelcoming campus racial and diversity climates. As a result, during the past decade, there has been a peak in the inaugurations of chief diversity officers. Yet, little is known about how these offices are established. Background: This study explores and describes the emergence of the chief diversity office at two research-intensive universities. Methodology: This study utilizes a qualitative case study to answer the research questions. Contribution: The study provides new knowledge about the impetuses that prompt the formation of chief diversity officers. Further, the findings inform the higher education community about the establishment of chief diversity offices at two universities that might help institutions inaugurate new offices. Findings: Findings illustrated that the formation of the chief diversity office at these research universities represented structural responses to cultural issues on campus. Recommendations for Practitioners: A recommendation for practitioners is to consider a thorough assessment of the campus climate as a means to prompt the formation of a chief diversity office. The structural attributes of the realized unit should be directly associated with the specific context of the respective campus. Recommendation for Researchers: Recommendations for researchers are to empirically address social identity when examining chief diversity officers and to further investigate job and work attitudes, such as organizational commitment or burnout, in these leaders. Impact on Society: Present day colleges and universities are the most diverse in history. Considering changing demographics, it is important to understand how institutions are structurally responding to diversity on campus. Future Research: Future research might investigate the nuanced ways in which institutions of higher education are inaugurating new offices and appointing new diversity leaders. Considering the distinct aspects of diversity, scholars might explore the salient skills or relevant background experiences that colleges and universities are seeking in these new leaders.

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Emerging Trend: The Chief Diversity Officer Phenomenon within Higher Education

Cited by 37 publications

References 3 publications

“We Can Do Better”: University Leaders Speak to Tribal-University Relationships

“We Can Do Better”: University Leaders Speak to Tribal-University Relationships

Making the Case for a University Senior Wellness Officer

Structuring Diversity: Chief Diversity Offices as Structural Responses to a Cultural Issue

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