Posts Tagged: diversity & inclusion

Based on their work with the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School Task Force on Graduate Student Mental Health, Sara Abelson, Meghan Duffy, and Janelle Goodwill identify eight ways that university mental health task forces can center equity in their work.

ACE is pleased to be a cooperating association for a mini-workshop on legal issues related to race in higher education sponsored by the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), “A Reckoning on Race for Higher Education: Next Steps and Legal Considerations for Campuses,” scheduled for Sept. 16.

The pandemic has brought with it a lens that allows for better vision of what is vital to student success. AACC President Walter Bumphus writes that that lens is a gift, and now is the perfect time to use it to rethink, redevelop, and re-explore how we provide education.

Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce recently released a blog on how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted the most vulnerable members of the population.

A recently released policy brief from the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) and the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) argues that the way in which colleges and universities are required to collect and report race and ethnicity data on students often masks areas of inequity.

Teaching during the pandemic is demonstrating that the challenges from COVID-19 go beyond the drastic health and economic consequences we are confronting—they are also social. The primary lesson is simple: in a time of physical distancing, social solidarity is more important than ever.

Moving towards equity takes care, patience, transparency, and community. In this post, Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, professor and associate dean of equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, builds upon this notion to take a look at how doing diversity, equity, and inclusion work on campus parallels the time, care, and nurturing associated with parenting.

Conversations around diversity have led to important questioned around what it means to be an inclusive leader. Noelle Witherspoon Arnold, associate dean for equity, diversity, inclusion and global engagement at The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, proposes a new model for inclusive leadership and discusses what it takes to create a supportive educational experience for all students.

Institutional commitment to diversity should expand beyond increasing the enrollment of underrepresented students and students of color to creating inclusive campuses. Stephanie Sanders, lecturer and diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at the University of Michigan Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, shares strategies on how to she has worked to create inclusive spaces, particularly for students of color, at a predominantly white institution.

Conversations around campus diversity often focus on undergraduate students. Karen DePauw, vice president and dean for graduate education at Virginia Tech, discusses the strategies Virginia Tech has implemented to create diversity and inclusion at the graduate student level, and how these efforts have led to a stronger campus community.

Building diverse and inclusive colleges and universities requires a campus-wide commitment and effort. Maria Madison, associate dean for equity, inclusion and diversity at Brandeis University’s Heller School suggests using evidence-based knowledge and best practices to evaluate how structures at predominantly white institutions may inhibit diversity and inclusion.

As more universities institutionalize efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion, Joana Dos Santos, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, explores the backgrounds, experiences, and skills that are most beneficial for academic diversity officers and the need for standards across the board.