WE DID IT OUR WAY:MAKING INCLUSION

WORK IN YOUR OFFICEKristin DrapelaAudrey ShinnerJonathan Rich

The University of Georgia

DEFINING DIVERSITY Diversity is a fuzzy concept; definitions

range from narrow to very broad. Diversity often means different things to

different people. Definitions of diversity have changed

over time and vary depending on context. How do you define diversity? What does diversity mean to you?

DEFINING DIVERSITY (cont.)

Narrow Definition: Equal Employment

Opportunity Act (1972): “Race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

What groups might be left out by this definition?

Broad Definition: “Diversity is all

the ways in which we differ.”

Why might this definition be too broad to be useful?

DEFINING DIVERSITY (cont.)

There is no “one size fits all” definition that will work for everybody.

What diversity might look like in one academic office might be different from the diversity needs of another office.

Academic administrators can adopt a definition that works best for their office’s needs.

Arrive at a definition by looking internally at your own office’s needs and then compare regionally and nationally.

OUR DEFINITION “Diversity includes but is not limited to,

groups defined by race, nationality, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, disability and/or health status, gender identity/expression, veteran status, geographic origins, and socio-economic status.” - UGA Office of the Registrar Diversity Plan

WHY IS DIVERSITY IMPORTANT?

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.“ Audre Lorde

BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY

Contact Hypothesis – interpersonal contact is one of the most effective ways to reduce prejudice and improve relations between members of different groups.

BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY (cont.) Diversity enhances students’ intellectual

development in several ways: Improved learning outcomes Openness Higher levels of academic development Increased intellectual engagement Improved critical thinking skills Enhanced self-concept Development of positive student-faculty

relationships

BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY (cont.) Diversity enhances the workplace in

numerous ways as well. Recruiting from a diverse pool of candidates

means a more qualified workforce Captures a greater share of the consumer

market An inclusive workforce has lower turnover Fosters a more innovative workforce Diversity is a key aspect of entrepreneurialism

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE DIVERSITY

Much attention has been paid to diversity in the corporate work environment, college students, and faculty members.

Little focus has been given to diversity in academic administrative offices.

Administrative offices in higher education occupy the “weird space in between” corporate office and academic faculty.

CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS The US population increased by 2.8 million

in 2004 to 2005 and people of color accounted for 81 percent of the growth.

One in every two US residents will be a minority by 2050. Whites will still be the largest single ethnic

group in terms of size. American workplace is moving away from

an exclusively white male model to a more diverse segmented approach.

DIVERSITY IN ACADEMIA

30% of college enrollments are minority students.

40% increase is projected over the course of the next two decades.

FEMALE REPRESENTATION Women currently make up 56 percent of

undergraduates, compared to 44 percent of men.

Women earn 58% of bachelor’s degrees, compared to 42% for men.

Since 1988, the number of female post baccalaureate students has exceeded the number of males.

Between 2000 and 2010, the number of female post baccalaureate students increased 62 percent while the number of males increased by only 38 percent.

MINORITY ENROLLMENT From 1976 to 2010:

The percentage of White students fell from 83 percent to 61 percent.

the percentage of Hispanic students rose from 3 percent to 13 percent.

The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islander students rose from 2 percent to 6 percent.

The percentage of Black students rose from 9 percent to 14 percent.

THE CHANGING AMERICAN WORKFORCE

THE CHANGING AMERICAN WORKFORCE

Our Office

THE CHANGING AMERICAN WORKFORCE

Diversity awareness has gone from being a luxury among cosmopolitan sophisticates to an absolute necessity for success in the global marketplace.

Organizations that do not manage diversity will be at competitive disadvantage.

Organizations that are sensitive to diversity will be able to attract and retain the best available employees.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR WORKPLACE DIVERSITY

The benefits of diversity persist beyond the college experience into the post college years.

Businesses have made clear the skills needed in today’s workplace can only be developed through exposure to widely diverse people, cultures, ideas, and viewpoints.

Diversity exposure provides students with cross-cultural competency as they enter an increasingly diverse workforce after graduation.

PERSISTANT DISPARITIES White households have incomes that are

two-thirds higher than African Americans and 40 percent higher than Hispanics.

30 percent of white adults had at least a bachelor's degree, while only 17 percent of black adults and 12 percent of Hispanic adults had degrees.

The median income for white households is $50,622. It is $30,939 for black households, $36,278 for Hispanic households.

DISPARITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Should the university reflect the population of its region/state/city?

Black and Hispanic students are dramatically underrepresented in the most selective colleges.

The probability of enrolling in a highly selective college is five times greater for white students than black students.

What does it mean when flagship institutions are the most prestigious and yet the least diverse?

ATTRACTING DIVERSE POPULATIONS

If the university is going to be diverse, what part of the system does diversity apply to? Current students, faculty, staff, administration,

or alumni? Structural Diversity – numerical

representation. Informal Interactional Diversity –

frequency and quality of interracial contact.

Classroom Diversity – content and structure of the course itself.

ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS TO DIVERSE HIRING

Discrimination Failure to publicize job openings in minority

communities. Bias in hiring practices and interview call-

backs. Negative attitudes and discomfort

Prejudice Racism Stereotyping

Inadequate organizational policies Lack of commitment from upper management.

HOW TO ATTRACT DIVERSE APPLICANTS

Design an office policy that emphasizes your stance on creating a diverse workplace.

Include anti-discrimination/equal opportunity policy in mission statement.

Write a statement about your office’s commitment to diversity in the job description.

Emphasize the need for qualified candidates of all backgrounds.

Identify publications with diverse readership to post job listings.

Attracting Diverse Applicants cont.

Ask questions about inclusiveness during the interview.

Make experience with diverse populations a requirement for a position.

Use HR applicant tracking software to better determine if advertised positions are reaching diverse applicant pools.

Contact local and national organizations that focus on diverse groups of individuals.

Seek referrals from current employees.

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING A DIVERSE WORKPLACE

Utilize strategies to build awareness. Offer training and education programs to

employees. Provide mentoring and career

development programs. Mandate fairness through office policies. Make available statements of

commitment from upper management. List diversity and inclusion as part of your

office’s strategic plan.

UGA DIVERSITY PLAN “The single, overarching goal of the

University of Georgia’s Diversity Plan is to sustain and enhance a learning and work environment that is diverse and inclusive where individual differences are valued and serve as a source for collective empowerment.”

UGA DIVERSITY PLAN “Diversity encompasses the breadth of

knowledge, skills and experiences in a student body. A broadly diverse learning environment benefits the whole university, both because students of differing cultural, racial, ethnic and experiential backgrounds bring differing perspectives to the University community, and because alumni of such a learning environment gain greater legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry of Georgia, the nation and the world.”

UGA DIVERSITY PLAN Each unit must include progress on the

diversity plan as part of their annual reporting.

Everyone must develop a diversity plan or update an existing plan around diversity for their unit.

Units must look internally and compare with regional and national policies.

Some units created their own plan while others operate off the general University guidelines.

GOALS OF UGA’S DIVERSITY PLAN

GOAL #1: Enhance and sustain an institutional climate that values and welcomes diversity and inclusion.

Objectives: Provide opportunities for faculty, staff and students to

increase their knowledge, skills and abilities in working with diverse individuals and groups.

Provide exposure to other customs, traditions, societies and ethnicities, through effective interaction and engagement across diverse groups.

Enhance, communicate and assure fair and equitable treatment free from harassment, discrimination and bias.

GOALS OF UGA’S DIVERSITY PLAN

GOAL #2: Increase the recruitment and retention of diverse students, with emphasis on those who are historically underrepresented.

Objectives: Evaluate and enhance current recruitment and

retention strategies to promote diversity. Increase existing institutionally supported need-

based scholarship and funding opportunities. Expand the collection, management and

dissemination of annual data on diversity of students to track growth and declines at UGA.

GOALS OF UGA’S DIVERSITY PLAN

GOAL #3: Recruit, retain and support advancement opportunities for a more diverse faculty and staff.

Objectives: Evaluate and enhance current recruitment and retention

strategies targeted at a more diverse faculty and staff. Increase faculty and staff diversity in all units and at all levels as

appropriate. Expand the collection, management and dissemination of annual

data on diversity of faculty and staff, to track growth and declines in all UGA units.

Ensure a consistent unit-level process for performance evaluations, exit interviews and data archives for faculty and staff.

Utilize existing programs or, where needed, create new ones that will provide staff and faculty with opportunities for career development and advancement.

GOALS OF UGA’S DIVERSITY PLAN

GOAL #4: Expand partnerships that increase diversity-related research and program initiatives with businesses, communities and organizations.

Objectives: Build upon and enhance the University’s supplier base

to incorporate a diverse set of businesses providing goods and services to the University.

Promote, develop, and enhance activities and collaborative research with colleges and universities that traditionally serve underrepresented groups.

Develop and implement community-focused diversity initiatives that engage the local communities with which the University of Georgia interacts.

GOALS OF UGA’S DIVERSITY PLAN

GOAL #5: Integrate diversity and inclusion into established systems of accountability.

Objectives: Establish baselines and conduct climate

assessments to measure improvements in diversity and inclusion.

Recognize and document contributions to diversity and inclusion.

Include diversity and inclusion activities in unit annual reports and evaluations of faculty, staff and administrators as appropriate.

MEASURING DIVERSITY Campus-wide diversity and inclusion awareness and

engagement programs and activities. Enhanced curriculum diversity including academic courses,

service-learning, international programs and extra-curricular activities.

The number of historically underrepresented undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

The number of women and historically underrepresented faculty and staff at all levels.

The amount of need-based and diversity-related scholarships that support the recruitment and retention of diverse students.

The number of external partnerships and collaborations across the state of Georgia that promote and enhance diversity and inclusion.

OUR DIVERSITY PLAN Steps we took to implement our

Diversity Plan: Determining why we wanted to design our own

plan and how to go about implementing it. Exploring ways to measure our goals without

quantification. Taking advantage of the multi-level

engagement UGA plan. Getting everyone from the University President

to the Service Center Representatives on board.

TAKING UGA TO MY WAY Read UGA Diversity Plan. Narrowed it down to our focus. Made it specific to our office. Looked at staff development as opposed

to student recruitment or curriculum. Focus on Qualitative interactions. Worked to keep it flexible and to have

long term viability.

DO NOT REINVENT THE WHEEL Research what other colleges and

universities are doing. Pull the ideas that work best for you. Be realistic about what is possible. Choose a few key items to focus on. Select one item, see it through, and then

move on to the next.

CHOOSING OUR OBJECTIVES Getting beyond the numbers:

Focus on qualitative interactions. Pinpoint areas of interest where we could

have significant improvement and obtain measurable results.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT Encourage every staff member to attend at

least one diversity training or event annually.

Encourage staff to take advantage of events and share them with the office.

Encourage professional development: Training Tuition Assistance Program Conferences

Give staff members enough time to participate in these events.

STAFFING Directors must make a conscious effort to

increase the applicant pool of historically underrepresented groups when filling staff positions.

During job interviews, specifically ask applicants if they support an office climate that is inclusive.

Ask about the prospective employee’s experience in working with diverse populations.

Insure the interviewing team is diverse.

DIVERSITY AWARENESS Observe heritage months with office

events and public displays. Increase the presence of diversity

initiatives on our website. Set up a news-feed monitor that includes

various campus events along with information required for students.

CROSS CAMPUS INITIATIVES Appoint a diversity representative who

will be: Responsible for submitting an annual report to

Office of Institutional Diversity (OID). Share initiatives from OID with the office.

Follow the best practices in recordkeeping with a specific eye toward inclusion.

Work with Equal Opportunity Office, Training and Development, and the Disability Resource Center.

BRINGING IT TOGETHER Published our diversity plan on our

website. Established a diversity Coordinator for

the office. Worked with OID on formatting the

annual report. Continued outreach to individuals and

departments across campus. Initiated dialogue with colleagues in our

office.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

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