Enhancing the collective experience of individuals within an organization requires diversity leadership and action planning at both the institutional and departmental level (Worthington et al., 2020). Implementing equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) practices requires thoughtful approaches. The resources below are intended to assist departments, departmental leaders, and departmental diversity committees with assessing, planning, and implementing various diversity-related activities.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion will continue to add and refine the content made available below.
Assessing and Understanding Issues
- Assessing DIB In Your Area: This document provides guidance on key steps in your DIB assessment process, including focus, framing, dimensions to explore, sharing of collected data, and action steps.
Communicating the Vision and Commitment
- Writing a Diversity Statement: This resource guide provides examples of good diversity statements and key points on why they are valuable and what to do after developing one.
Building a Plan of Action
- Facilitating Change Process: This document offers some initial steps and key considerations that departments and offices can undertake to initiate the process of moving towards aspirational goals with respect to racial equity, inclusion, and a culture of action and learning.
- Priority Guiding Questions: These questions are intended to promote examination and exploration of key factors that can assist you in identifying the appropriate set of action items as you move forward in your action planning work.
- Action Plan Template and Guide: This resource is a guide and template for developing your plans of action on matters of diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and it offers key questions for your department or office to consider along the way.
- University DIB Toolkit: This toolkit, intended to empower “local change-makers”, was created to support local unit diversity, inclusion, and belonging (DIB) committees, whether the “unit” be a campus office, department, program, school, or academic unit. The toolkit provides guidance with
respect to DIB committee creation, planning, and implementation.
Behaviors for Inclusive Cultures
- Foundational Concepts and Affirming Language: Our ability to communicate with one another across difference is a critical component of working to establish environments where people feel affirmed and valued. Harvard University’s Foundational Concepts & Affirming Language resource document looks to assist with grounding language and mutual understanding to inform our work.
- Equity Lens For Decision-Making (includes a section on racial equity in decision-making): Offers key questions for use in planning, decision-making and implementation for policies, practices, and programs, as well as key questions to consider along the way that inform your approach.
- Inclusive Meetings: This document offers guidance on practical steps that can be taken to make meetings more inclusive and more effective.
- Techniques for Affirming Others: This resource is based on content within The COVID-19 DEI Crisis Action Strategy Guide: Recommendations to Drive Inclusive Excellence, and it provides three techniques for affirming and supporting individuals on matters of identity during a period of crisis.
- Supporting Basic and Cultural Needs: This resource is based on content within The COVID-19 DEI Crisis Action Strategy Guide: Recommendations to Drive Inclusive Excellence, and it provides tips on supporting basic and cultural needs of diverse groups with a focus on decision-making and recommended steps for responding to team vulnerability and needs.
- Calling In & Calling Out Guide. This resources focuses on approaches that support our ability to recognize, name, and address moments when individuals and/or groups of individuals with marginalized identities are experiencing harm, such as bias or discrimination.
- Using Bias Free Language. This resource from the American Psychological Association (APA) provides guidance on language that is free of bias and helps to minimize the perpetuation of prejudicial beliefs and/or demeaning attitudes in writing.
- Types of Bias & Ways to Manage Bias. This resource provides definitions for bias, implicit and explicit bias, as well as various types of bias that can often manifest in our interactions, work, and practices. Additionally, guidance is provided on steps each individual can take to minimize the effects of bias each day in our communication, behavior, and decision-making.
Facilitating Dialogue
The “Three Cs” is shorthand for an introductory framework used by many educators and diversity professionals to guide their approach to inclusive teaching and dialogue facilitation. This framework is broad and allows for educators to adapt, make adjustments, and apply it in any learning environment. This resource provides information on strategies and workshop design features for three facilitation environments: Confirmation, Contradiction; and Continuity.
This handout provides guidance on navigating difficult moments that emerge during group dialogue on critical issues. This resource provides tips, strategies, and skills that can be applied in the moment.
Building an Anti-Racist Environment
- Anti-Racism Resources for the Workplace: This document developed by the Center for Workplace Development is a list of resources in various categories for learning how to understand and addressing racism in the workplace. Categories include strategies for leaders, suggested readings for white people and people of color, actions for the workplace, and additional higher education-focused resources.
- View the ODI Anti-Racism Resource List for additional learning.
Source: Worthington, R. L., Stanley, C. A., & Smith, D. G. (2020). Advancing the Professionalization of Diversity Officers in Higher Education: Report of the Presidential Task Force on the Revision of the NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 13(1), 1-22
