1st Edition
Conducting an Institutional Diversity Audit in Higher Education A Practitioner's Guide to Systematic Diversity Transformation
Implementing systematic diversity transformation requires embracing all aspects of diversity—gender, sexual orientation, disability, gender identification, and other salient characteristics of difference—as well as race and ethnicity.This book lays out a framework for a systematic and sustained diversity process that first recognizes that too many diversity initiatives have generated more statements of intent than actual change, and that audits conducted by outside bodies frequently fail to achieve buy-in or long-term impact, and are costly endeavors. The authors’ framework identifies nine dimensions that need to be addressed to achieve a comprehensive audit that leads to action, describes the underlying research-based practices, and offers guidance on ensuring that all relevant voices are heard. The process is designed to be implemented by and within the institution, saving the considerable expense of outside consulting and design. In addition, it offers flexibility in the timing and sequence of implementation, and provides the means for each institution to interrogate its unique circumstances, context, and practices. This book provides a concrete process for data gathering, analysis, and evaluation of institution-wide diversity efforts through a progressive, modular approach to diversity transformation. It gives campuses the ability to audit, evaluate, and analyze diversity progress on the nine dimensions and prioritize areas of focus. Its systematic, research-based approach supports continuous improvement and proactively addresses accreditation criteria. The book is designed as a collaborative tool that will enable every constituency on campus—from boards of trustees, presidents, provosts, executive officers, diversity officers, deans, department heads and chairs, administrators, HR officers, faculty senates and staff councils, diversity taskforces, multicultural centers, faculty, and researchers—to identify processes and relationships that need to change and implement practices that value and support the diversity on their campuses, and undertake the transformation necessary for institutional success in a changing world.The questions and guidelines set out in this book will enable all stakeholders to:• Audit the progress on each diversity dimension• Identify gaps between research-based practices and current approaches• Tie diversity benchmarks to accreditation frameworks and strategic plans• Chart the organization’s overall progress in the development of comprehensive diversity initiatives leading toward Inclusive Excellence• Prioritize institutional diversity initiatives based upon a comparison of the current state and the desired state, availability of resources, and the importance of each dimension in relation to institutional diversity goals• Create a long-term strategy for diversity transformation that provides a concrete, research-based method for auditing progress and future planning
Tables and Figure Foreword—Benjamin D. Reese Jr. Introduction 1. The Evolving Context for Diversity Assessment 2. Defining Diversity and Inclusion 3. The Academic/Mission-Centered Case for Diversity and Inclusion 4. The Building Blocks of Compositional and Relational Demography 5. Strategic Diversity Infrastructure 6. The Strengths and Pitfalls of Diversity Strategic Planning 7. Creating a Comprehensive Inventory of Diversity Education Programs 8. Assessing the Climate, Culture, and Readiness for Diversity Transformation 9. Building an Inclusive Talent Proposition. Recruitment, Hiring, and Search Committee Development 10. Total Rewards Strategy and Talent Retention 11. Implementation Guide 12. A Holistic Overview References About the Authors Index
Biography
Edna Chun and Alvin Evans are award-winning authors and human resource and diversity thought leaders with extensive experience in complex, multi-campus systems of higher education. Two of their books, Are the Walls Really Down? Behavioral and Organizational Barriers to Faculty and Staff Diversity (Jossey-Bass, 2007) and Bridging the Diversity Divide:Globalization and Reciprocal Empowerment in Higher Education (Jossey-Bass, 2009) were recipients of the prestigious Kathryn G. Hansen Publication Award by the national College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. In addition, their co-authored book, The New Talent Acquisition Frontier: Integrating HR and Diversity Strategy in the Private and Public Sectors and Higher Education (Stylus: 2014) received a silver medal in the 2014 Axiom Business Book Awards and is the first book to provide a concrete roadmap to the integration of HR and diversity strategy.Recent publications include Leading a Diversity Culture Shift in Higher Education (Routledge, 2018) that draws on extensive interviews with chief diversity officers and university leaders to provide a systematic approach to diversity organizational learning and The Department Chair as Transformative Leader (Stylus, 2015), the first research-based resource on the academic department chair’s role in diversity transformation. Other books include Diverse Administrators in Peril: The New Indentured Class in Higher Education (Paradigm, 2012), the first in-depth interview study of the work experiences of minority, female, and LGBT administrators in higher education 2012) and Rethinking Cultural Competence in Higher Education: An Ecological Framework for Student Development ( Jossey-Bass, 2016), a study that draws on a survey of recent college graduates now working as professionals to offer leading-edge, integrative models for the attainment of diversity competence.Both authors are sought-after plenary speakers and facilitators at national conferences and
“Congratulations to Chun and Evans for producing Conducting an Institutional Diversity Audit in Higher Education. They have provided a definitive roadmap for the academy to self-assess our progress towards the institutional inclusiveness that we strive to achieve. Higher Education will benefit from this book for institutional strategic planning around the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. A must read!”
Dennis A. Mitchell, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement
Columbia University
“This book is a MUST read for anyone committed to diversity, particularly in higher education. Many colleges and universities have made a commitment to implementing diversity practices without a similar commitment to assessing the effectiveness of those practices. This book is a critical resource to help move institutions toward that important next step.”
Bryan Cook, Vice President, Data and Policy Analysis
Association for Public & Land-Grant Universities
“It’s often said that it is the questions that one asks that stimulate reflection and deep learning. This is exemplified in this book. Each chapter is an in-depth discussion of one of the nine dimensions [of the Diversity Audit], and at the end of each chapter, the authors present a comprehensive list of questions for the analysis and assessment of that dimension.
Chun and Evans provide an empirically-based approach to auditing campus diversity and inclusion that engages a wide range of campus constituents in comprehensively highlighting the current state and shining a light on the path to transformation. It’s a must read!”
Benjamin D. Reese, Jr., Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Office for Institutional Equity
Duke University/Duke University Health System
“Edna Chun and Alvin Evans have provided a great service through this comprehensive overview of diversity audits. Colleges and universities seeking to diversify their community, guarantee equity and create inclusion will find this volume an excellent roadmap for organizing institutional change. I look forward to using the book!"
Michele Minter, Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity
Princeton University
“Conducting an Institutional Diversity Audit in Higher Education is a valuable tool for bringing systematic change to a college or university.
Discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been taking place on college and university campuses for decades. Almost all institutions are concerned with these issues but find it difficult to accurately assess their own situation and to create a sound plan for moving forward. In many cases, advancing DEI is a decentralized process involving a collection of committees, initiatives, and programs originating in different units. In short, what is often lacking is a systemic approach.
Edna Chun and Alvin Evans address this problem by providing a practical guide that allows faculty and administrators to take an “intentional and integrated” approach to diversity and inclusion. Those who follow academic research on DEI issues in academia will no doubt be familiar with Chun and Evans, as they have spent decades researching and writing about diversity in higher education. This new book is designed to help institutions make meaningful changes. Many DEI discussions focus on desired outcomes, changes that students, faculty, staff, and administrators would like to see on their campuses. Inevitably, one comes to the difficult question of exactly how to achieve these goals. What is the process for identifying, assessing, and making real progress in DEI? This book is designed to help operationalize these discussions by identifying nine critical dimensions for building strategic diversity capacity, each of which is the subject of a separate chapter.
In addition to its thorough grounding in the latest research, one of the strengths of this book is the numerous examples, questionnaires, and rubrics included in each chapter. The authors’ review of contemporary policy and practice at a wide range of colleges and universities provides readers with an array of examples of definitions of diversity and inclusion, representative DEI themes in mission statements, accreditation criteria, and strategic plans.
Department chairs, deans, provosts, and other administrators desirous of making structural change regarding diversity and inclusion will find this work of great interest. Its combination of sound research and practical guidance make it a valuable, and timely, resource."
The Department Chair
