For Future Reference....
Diversity statements...
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Demonstrated understanding of how affirmative action and increased diversity among
students, faculty, administration, staff, and the curriculum strengthen the academic
mission.
Highlight successful record of recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff, and
students, including individuals from diverse and multicultural backgrounds.
Demonstrated ability to work collegially and collaboratively with diverse internal and
external constituencies.
Show relevant ability working with under-served and/or underrepresented populations.
Show a demonstrated commitment to, and relevant ability successfully advocating for
diversity and values of diversity.
Advance the college’s commitment to diversity and multiculturalism among the
College’s faculty, staff, students, research, teaching and community outreach, with
relevant programs, goals and activities.
Showcase ability to consider alternative and diverse perspectives, to communicate
effectively both orally and in writing, to remain poised under all circumstances, and to
interact effectively with people in a positive manner that engenders confidence and trust.
Show relevant ability working and living among other cultures; and a track-record of
working with under-served and/or underrepresented populations.
Demonstrated knowledge of, and/or relevant ability with culturally diverse communities
among potential target and constituent populations.
Demonstrated competence related to working with adults (including ethnic/racial/cultural
minority adults) in an academic advising capacity.
Show ability to understand and articulate needs and concerns from a perspective that
includes intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other significant
aspects of individuals and cultural identity.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with sensitivity and tact, and be sensitive to
dynamics of difference in race, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national
origin and other types of cultural difference.
Demonstrated knowledge and ability to work effectively with individuals and groups
with a variety of identities, cultures, backgrounds, and ideologies in a global environment.
Show relevant ability working with diverse populations.
(From Washington State University)
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Why are faculty candidates being asked to provide a statement of their past or
planned activities that contribute to diversity? (From UC San Diego)
All faculty candidates are asked to submit a personal contributions to diversity statement. Each candidate
is evaluated on their past and/or planned contributions to diversity during the selection process, and the
search committee chair submits an evaluation of each candidate on the short list prior to the interview
process. These evaluations are reviewed in the recruit process by the Associate Vice Chancellor for
Faculty Equity, the divisional Equity Advisor, and the office of Academic Diversity and Equal
Opportunity prior to submission to the divisional dean for his or her approval.
Diversity, equity and inclusion are part of UC's fundamental mission.
"Because the core mission of the University of California is to serve the interests of the State of California,
it must seek to achieve diversity among its student bodies and among its employees. The State of
California has a compelling interest in making sure that people from all backgrounds perceive that access
to the University is possible for talented students, staff, and faculty from all groups. The knowledge that
the University of California is open to qualified students from all groups, and thus serves all parts of the
community equitably, helps sustain the social fabric of the State."[1]
Diversity is essential to achieving academic excellence throughout the UC System.
"Diversity should also be integral to the University's achievement of excellence. Diversity can enhance
the ability of the University to accomplish its academic mission. Diversity aims to broaden and deepen
both the educational experience and the scholarly environment, as students and faculty learn to interact
effectively with each other, preparing them to participate in an increasingly complex and pluralistic
society. Ideas, and practices based on those ideas, can be made richer by the process of being born and
nurtured in a diverse community. The pluralistic university can model a process of proposing and testing
ideas through respectful, civil communication. Educational excellence that truly incorporates diversity
thus can promote mutual respect and make possible the full, effective use of the talents and abilities of all
to foster innovation and train future leadership."[2]
Diversity, equity and inclusion are part of UC San Diego's mission.
"To foster the best possible working and learning environment, our university strives to maintain a
climate of fairness, cooperation, and professionalism, which is embodied in our campus Principles of
Community. UC San Diego embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential ingredients of academic
excellence in higher education."[3]
Increasing diversity can give us a leading edge towards academic excellence.
Demographic trends in the state are towards increasing diversity, yet UC and UCSD trends have not kept
pace in our representation. Increasing diversity to better reflect the population of California is
fundamental to our mission as a public institution and imperative to achieving our full potential.
We seek future faculty who have or will make substantial contributions to advancing this mission.
It is university policy that a candidate's race, gender, ethnicity or other personal characteristics not be
considered in evaluation or selection for faculty appointments. However, to attract candidates who will
contribute to the university's commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, search committees
may consider past or proposed contributions to diversity as part of the overall review process.
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Examples of how professors include diversity components in the classroom
Faculty Forum: Is Diversity Relevant to What I Teach?
From: http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/W97/relevant.html
Business
Bentley College, Waltham, Mass.
Marcy Crary
Our team-taught elective, "Managing Diversity in the Workplace," focuses on the opportunities and
challenges of a diverse workplace and the knowledge and skills required for working productively with
differences. We use simulations, role-plays, case-studies, and exercises to explore the individual, group,
and organizational dynamics in which we all play a role.
Students do a "cultural immersion" paper for which they are asked to visit a place in which they are in the
minority and write about their experience. They also interview two managers (one the same race and
gender as the student and the other a different race and/or gender) about their personal experiences with
diversity and their companies' strategies for creating more inclusive and productive work environments.
Mathematics
Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, N.J.
Teresa Healy, Elaine Klett, Barbara Tozzi, Linda Wang
Many courses in our mathematics department have strong problem-solving components where students
use mathematical skills and concepts while working with real-world data. This provides an opportunity
for introducing issues of diversity. For example, students in our statistics course compare and contrast
data on diverse population groups. These students might also perform Chi Square Tests of Independence
on data relating types of professional jobs held at colleges to ethnic groups. Students in basic math
courses analyze charts and graphs relating race and age to health and other social issues.
Problems like these are incorporated into homework assignments, classroom lab projects, or tests.
Instructors might provide the sources of data or students themselves might be responsible for finding data.
These activities allow students to recognize the value of mathematics beyond the classroom. It moves the
subject matter beyond pure theory to real-world applications that keep students of all backgrounds
engaged in their learning.
Biology
SUNY–Albany, Albany, N.Y.
Bonnie Spanier
Evidence reveals that the sex, cultural heritage, class, and sexual orientation of the majority of scientists
have influenced the priorities chosen for research--and even the models and paradigms chosen to explain
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biological phenomena (including evolution, animal behavior, human biology, sexuality, and health). In
biology, students need to understand that "race" is not a biological or fixed category. Stephen Jay Gould's
Mismeasure of Man or Ruth Hubbard's The Politics of Women's Biology, for instance, offer evidence of
the social, political, and economic nature of the categories.
One exercise about the complex interplay of biology and culture is to ask students to write about the ways
that being a student affects their biology. Student life affects stress, weight, body shape and strength,
menstrual cycles, susceptibility to illness, pregnancy, etc. In addition, students can discuss how sexism,
racism, and homophobia affect their physical and mental well-being.
Engineering
Texas A&M, College Station, Tex.
Karen Watson
In a digital system course, we emphasize the importance of teamwork for design projects. Teams are
given a problem that they work together to solve. Teams are then rated in categories such as: (1) number
of useful ideas generated; (2) novelty level of ideas; (3) most logical next improvement for the design;
and (4) the best ideas to gain significant acceptance by customers.
A few teams always show a significantly higher ranking. The class explores why these teams are so
successful.
The high-performance teams most often include diversity of social and life experiences, educational paths,
and cultural backgrounds. The conclusion of most students during this kind of exercise is that they hope
to be hired by a company with a great diversity of engineers.
Also see: http://www.diversityweb.org/Digest/W97/contents.html
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