The Changing Roles and Contributions of Campus Diversity Offices and Their Influence on Campus Culture

Abstract

Higher education has struggled to include and support students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented and marginalized groups. In recent years, universities have decided to address these struggles explicitly, using a variety of different approaches to better support these groups from mandatory trainings to optional events, from external audits to internal campus climate surveys. One promising approach to providing support to marginalized groups has been to employ campus diversity officers and offices. These offices operate at the executive level and take on campus-wide leadership responsibilities, incorporating inclusive excellence and an equity perspective throughout campus policies, functions and culture. In this article, programmatic and policy efforts at two public universities are detailed, spotlighting systemicproactive and individual-reactive policies and programs needed to advance access, diversity, equity, and inclusion across institutions of higher education. Although the approaches each university takes are site and context specific, they use the role of chief diversity officer both to marshal policy and programmatic change to improve the educational experiences for all who work at and learn at these institutions.

Characterizing Biology Education Research: Perspectives from Practitioners and Scholars in the Field

“…For example, one of our own campuses, University of California San Diego, has recently announced an interdisciplinary cluster search for 10 to 12 faculty across STEM disciplines whose research, education, and/or service activities are focused on racial and ethnic disparities, especially in relation to the Black diaspora and African American communities ( 48 ). Similarly, many other campuses now have chief diversity officers ( 49 , 50 ) and diversity offices ( 51 , 52 ). There may be potential for the BER community to engage with members of their campus communities and other similar scholars to advance classroom and institutional transformations to foster inclusion and rightful presence in the biological sciences and biology education ( 53 ).…”

The Equity Paradox Typology: An Application of Critical Race Methodology to Redress Racial Harm Against Faculty of Color

“…Still, these institutions have primarily sought to increase student and staff diversity and put in place measures to encourage individuals to self-correct and report acts of perceived insensitivity and discrimination (Brown et al, 2016; Stanley, 2006). In addition, in recent years, many institutions have sought to increase the effectiveness of their diversity initiatives by creating an Office for Diversity to centralize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts (Suarez et al, 2018). In the aftermath of the dehumanizing separation of families along the US-Mexico border, a spree of police shootings of unarmed citizens, and the murder of George Floyd, universities are increasingly advertising for a Chief Diversity Officer.…”

“…Progress is primarily measured by gains in the number or percentage of students and faculty from underrepresented racial, social class, and gender categories, which are essential measures of progress toward equality of representation and access. However, measurable progress requires a nuanced approach as articulated by Suarez et al (2018) that considers, “programs do not move the equity needle unless they are undergirded by policies and processes that infuse diversity and inclusion throughout the institution” (p. 67). This requires a critical examination of racialized campus climates and professional work environments that are not nurturing nor supportive to faculty of color, and as such, they work against equitable opportunity.…”

We Matter Too: Employing Counterstorytelling to Expose the Equity Paradoxes Arresting Mattering and Racial Healing Among Faculty of Color

“…Another matter to consider is the nature of change within institutions of higher education related to equality and equity. Despite Suarez et al (2018) warning that programming alone cannot bring about institutional transformation, the vast majority of change efforts in higher education remain tied to a cultural event or a diversity hiring initiative. We do not wish to discourage such efforts because they have merit and should be a critical element in broader equality, equity, and inclusion plans.…”