President’s Commission
on
DIVERSITY
Presented by:
Jackee Schwartz, CEO
Global Access Now, LLC
PCD Charge:
DIVERSITY
1. Advise President
-Issues, Policies, Practices
2. Report to President and University
community
-Matters of racial & ethnic diversity in
employment, working environment,
compensation & Leadership
3. Offer recommendations (recruit & retain
students & faculty & staff)
4. Propose Initiatives
Today’s Objectives
To assess the real issues:

What is the level of awareness?

What are we really trying to change?

How does change occur?

How do we get the Power?

What are the barriers?

How do we make it happen?
Indicators Of Low Appreciation For Diversity
•
Many EEOC Suits—People leaving
•
Retention Problems
•
Continuous Conflict
•
Many Complaints
•
Cultural Faux Pas That Are Unintentional
•
Diversity-related Blocks in Communication
•
People Feeling Isolated
•
Lack of Value For Uniqueness
Shotgun Approach

Confusion makes
action difficult
• Give real life
examples

A scattering of
practices is
ineffective
• Why?
Diversity Obstacles

What are they
at UK?
Best Practices



Business Diversity Network
Purpose: To benchmark best
practices
Advice from U of L, Toyota, Lexmark
and LG&E
BEST PRACTICES
All agreed first and foremost:
Without SENIOR LEVEL SUPPORT, an
effective diversity initiative will never
happen
How do you get sustained, passionate
support of senior leadership?
Change


How open to change is your
organizational structure?
What, if anything, needs to happen
to make the culture more open and
flexible?
How Critical Is Accountability





How do you build it into a
diversity effort?
What should you be measuring?
Set goals that are reasonable
and specific
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Monitor and communicate
progress
Summary
What is the critical first, next step?
Ohio State University stated in its Diversity
Plan:
“The goals are extensive…they should be
prioritized, and deliberate. Many of the actions are
doable with current resources, it is likely that real
progress and success will require additional
resources.”