Rarely have I seen an image so accurately capture the state of DEI (EDI) in higher education.
Replace services with university, & you'll capture the essence of many Uni's DEI initiatives.
Too often, Uni's make a few strategic hires, host very visible events, & make "tweetable" moments - then declare they are "woke."
Not often enough do Uni's make deep changes in hiring or tenure processes to address inequities in access to resources, networks, or training necessary to integrate faculty from historically disadvantaged communities truly.
I know no university that has substantively amended its hiring or tenure process to support faculty from disadvantaged communities properly.
Instead, Unis seem to think that simply hiring minority faculty is enough.
It is not.
Absent acknowledging the playing field is not level at its inception, it is very hard to grow & support diverse communities.
So how to do it?
First, we need to revisit tenure & promotion processes.
Create opportunities for more diverse forms of scholarship, extend tenure clocks, & offer resources for young faculty to bootstrap up their research.
Processes need to adjust for historical inequities in access & resources.
Second, we need to revisit hiring practices.
I find it far more impressive when faculty at an under-resourced teaching school publish well, even if at a slower clip, than faculty at a well-resourced research school.
Adjust for this difference - when making hiring decisions - & afford opportunities for faculty from historically disadvantaged communities to move - if they want to - & flourish.
Third, senior faculty need to take point on building inclusive communities.
The tradition of sink or swim found at many institutions will only work for some faculty from historically disadvantaged communities or less well-resourced universities.
Why?
These faculty often lack the training, certainly the resources, & absolutely the networks of power needed to get a fair shake at top journals.
Absent senior faculty support, real support, not lipstick-on-pig support, we can't expect young faculty to survive the rigors of tenure.
Only when we build mindful, reflective communities that afford opportunities for participation to the full breadth of society will we build truly inclusive #universities.
Absent leadership & deep change, I can only see a future with more apologies, such as what was offered by Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Thomas L. #Keon, after racist behavior at a graduation ceremony.
After mocking the #AAPI community, he apologized, saying, "We are all human. I made a mistake, and I assure you I did not intend to be hurtful, and my comments do not reflect my personal or our institutional values."
While undoubtedly, Dr. Keon made a mistake, that he did so is a sign that we are far from an #equitable, #diverse, & #inclusive#highereducation system in the USA.
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