Diversity Officers Research Articles

The Experiences of Academic Diversity Officers at the University of Michigan

The Experiences of Academic Diversity Officers at the University of Michigan

Leading progress: the role of the chief diversity officer in anesthesiology departments

Leading progress: the role of the chief diversity officer in anesthesiology departments

Campus diversity, Jewishness, and antisemitism

To explore current attitudes among Jewish students, faculty, and leaders of Jewish campus organizations regarding the putative exclusion of Jewish concerns from campus dialogs around diversity, we recruited 40 such individuals to engage in a semi-structured interview. The consensus among our interviewees was that there is a significant, ongoing, and too-often overlooked problem with virulent anti-Israel activity on many campuses that often seeps into antisemitism; that many, though not all, Jewish students are disturbed by this phenomena; that the consequences of anti-Israel hostility on some campuses are felt most significantly by self-identified progressive Jewish students who feel emotionally attacked for pro-Israel sentiments and ostracized in their attempts to join with seemingly progressive and/or intersectional campus movements; that college diversity officers and courses have, for the most part, failed to include issues of concern to Jewish students; and that psychotherapists, especially those on college campuses, maybe unprepared to deal with concerns specific to Jewish students. We believe that the failure to recognize and deal with campus antisemitism is both dangerous and morally disingenuous.

MomsTalkShots: An individually tailored educational application for maternal and infant vaccines

IntroductionThe development and initial assessment in a clinical setting of a theory-driven, individually tailored educational application (app), MomsTalkShots, focused on increasing uptake of maternal and infant vaccines is described. MethodsMomsTalkShots algorithmically tailored videos based on parent needs to deliver an intervention that was specifically responsive to individual vaccine attitudes, beliefs and intentions, demographics, and source credibility. MomsTalkShots was evaluated among 1103 pregnant women recruited from 23 geographically and socio-demographically diverse obstetrician-gynecologist offices in Georgia and Colorado in 2017. Self-reported information needs were assessed pre-and post-videos and participants self-reported factors related to usability and analyzed in 2018. ResultsThe vast majority of women reported MomsTalkShots was helpful (95%), trustworthy (94%), interesting (97%) and clear to understand (99%), none of which varied by demographics or parity. Reported usability was slightly lower among vaccine hesitant women, yet the majority reported MomsTalkShots was helpful (91%), trustworthy (85%), interesting (97%) and clear (99%). The majority of women (72%) who did not have enough vaccine information pre-videos reported enough information post-videos. ConclusionsMomsTalkShots was designed to provide individually tailored vaccine information to pregnant women from a population with varied vaccine intentions, confidence and vaccine concerns. MomsTalkShots was extremely well-received among pregnant women, even among women who were initially vaccine hesitant and did not intend to vaccinate themselves and their infants according to the recommended immunization schedule. Next steps include evaluation to assess impact on vaccine uptake and expansion to adolescent and adult vaccines.

Organizational change and the chief diversity officer: A case study of institutionalizing a diversity plan.

Organizational change and the chief diversity officer: A case study of institutionalizing a diversity plan.

Parent Perceptions of and Preferences for Participation in Child Health Research: Results from a Pediatric Practice-Based Research Network

Recruitment efforts for child health research are often based on assumptions, therefore improving knowledge about parents' perceptions and preferences could enhance engagement. 1) To describe parents' perceptions about and preferences for participation in child health research within a pediatric practice-based research network (PBRN), and 2) to investigate any associations with the presence of on-site PBRN research staff, office location, and child age. We conducted a 2-phase study with a convenience sample of parents from diverse office settings. Phase 1 was a qualitative assessment using semistructured, in-person interviews. Phase 2 consisted of a quantitative self-administered survey assessing: 1) perceptions of importance, benefits/motivations, and risks/barriers of child health research, and 2) preferences for recruitment method and enrollment location. Parents (n = 627) uniformly perceived child health research to be important in prevention (89%), diagnosis (89%), and treatment (92%). They were motivated to participate most commonly by altruism and rarely by compensation. Parents perceived side effects (60%), discomfort (52%), and time (45%) as the main risks of participation. Most parents preferred to learn about research opportunities at their pediatric office (70%), and if interested, to enroll their child in their pediatric office (57%) or in their home (52%). Parents were significantly more altruistic and interested in participation in offices with on-site PBRN research staff and greater proximity to the University. Child health researchers could enhance participation by using recruitment resources and enrollment strategies that match parent preferences, including engagement by on-site PBRN staff.

Diversity Management in Action: Chief Diversity Officer Adoption in America’s Cities

One of the primary ways cities signal the importance of diversity is to hire a chief diversity officer (CDO). Despite the importance of this position, we know remarkably little about the prevalence and predictors of CDO adoption in local governments. Using original data from the 250 largest cities in the United States, this article demonstrates that about one in four cities has hired a CDO. Further, the decision to hire a CDO is driven more by constituent demand than by city structure or resources. The article concludes by discussing the future of diversity management in America’s cities.

Be explicit: Defining the difference between the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Office of Diversity & Equity

Diversity, inclusion, and equity are recognized as educational priorities and strategies for excellence across medical education. However, an inadvertent consequence of this push for best practice is that these terms are used interchangeably. This personal view intends to highlight the importance of language in an office of diversity and how it can potentially exacerbate the disparities it aims to alleviate. While a diversity office promotes the importance of individual differences, in definition, an office of “Diversity and Inclusion” focuses on creating a culture of respect, value, and belonging for all. On the other hand, an office of “Diversity and Equity” focuses on addressing the unique barriers that disadvantage a subset of students and faculty. This has important implications for students, faculty, staff, and administration. Moreover, this directly affects the perceptions of an institutions’ diversity climate.

Sexual Assault Among College Students Attending a Historically Black College/University.

Sexual assault constitutes a significant public health problem on college campuses including historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). Recent research suggests that sexual assault is increasing on college campuses. However, there are few studies examining the prevalence and risk factors for sexual assault at HBCUs. To address this gap, the current study examined the prevalence, correlates, and outcomes of sexual assault at an HBCU. Participants in the study were 264 undergraduate students from an HBCU in the mid-Atlantic region. The majority of participants were female (71%), African American (91%), and seniors (41%). After providing informed consent, participants completed a Climate Assessment survey administered by the university's Office of Diversity. Findings revealed that since starting college about 20% of students experienced sexual contact without consent. Of those sexually assaulted, 20% reported they were incapacitated or under the influence of alcohol (15%) at the time of the assault. About 17% of those assaulted experienced a physical injury and/or poor mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety, depression, flashbacks). Participants reported not disclosing information of their assault due to embarrassment, afraid of retaliation from the perpetrator, believing it was a private matter. Close friends were more likely to be told about sexual assault. The study supports the need to address sexual assault on HBCU campuses through strong prevention and intervention programs and to address barriers to reporting.

Queering and diversifying gender in equality work at European higher education institutions

Against the background of recent changes to EU legislation to meet the demands and needs of LGBTIQ* communities, the authors seek to situate a queered and diversified understanding of gender firmly at the centre of the gender equality discourse in higher education (HE). Based on case examples, the legal and discursive status quo in German and Dutch HE institutions as well as actors’ motivations, challenges and opportunities are examined through a queer lens. The results highlight how differently EU legislation is transposed into national law. They also show that change is currently driven by highly motivated individual actors, be they students, gender equality and diversity officers, or individual institutions. We argue that queering and diversifying should be understood and used as modes to reflect on and analyse the processes that lead to heteronormative understandings of gender in HE and to develop strategies that take the complexities of gendered identities and discrimination into account.

Fostering Inclusive Teaching: A Systemic Approach to Develop Faculty Competencies

Motivated by climate survey findings and racial bias incidents on a Midwestern, Jesuit, Catholicuniversity campus, the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Office and Center for Teaching Excellence began a journey to strengthen faculty competencies related to inclusive teaching. This case study provides background on the need for training, an overview of the Diversity and Inclusive Teaching Academy developed, challenges presented during planning and implementation processes, and implications for faculty development. Evaluation results demonstrate the importance of modeling sound pedagogical practices, providing challenging and demanding content that stretches understanding of key issues, and fostering interdisciplinary communities of learners in supportive environments.

White Nationalist Violence and the Religious Studies Classroom: Brief Reflections on a Response to a Shooting

White Nationalist Violence and the Religious Studies ClassroomBrief Reflections on a Response to a Shooting Samuel Hayim Brody (bio) In fall 2018, I taught a 100-level religious studies course called "Jews, Christians, Muslims" at the University of Kansas (KU). While we occasionally referred to current events throughout the semester, for example to the tensions in the Eastern Orthodox Church over Russian foreign policy in Ukraine, we did not generally devote full class periods to such discussions. The course seeks to introduce students to the scriptures, major interpretive traditions, practices, and histories of three religions, including their relationships to one another, and just covering the basics is more than enough to keep us busy. However, when the shooting took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh—the worst single act of anti-Semitic violence in American history—I felt that we could not hold class as normal and let the incident pass unmentioned. I also felt, however, that there should be some structure to any discussion. Inviting students to simply share their feelings can be valuable, but it also runs the risk of falling flat if they feel intimidated, unsure, or insufficiently informed. I also had the nature and backgrounds of the student body to consider. Of the forty students enrolled, maybe 10 percent were Jewish. The other 90 percent were a diverse group, including Muslims, Christians of varying denominations, first-generation college students, international students, and so on. I didn't want the Jewish students to feel put on the spot. The students in the class were also intellectually and politically diverse, and I didn't want to seem like I was highlighting the event solely to score political points against the Trump administration. With these concerns in mind, here's what I did. Two days before class (three days after the shooting), I emailed my students to let them know we'd be discussing the attack. I included links to news stories for optional preparation—one from the Atlantic with an angle emphasizing Jewish [End Page 103] burial and funeral practices (a topic we had just covered the week before), one from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on a solidarity rally at Sixth Presbyterian Church, and Eric Ward's essay "Skin in the Game," which discusses the role played by anti-Semitism in white nationalist ideology.1 The next day, I wrote to KU's then– Director of Academic Inclusion at the Office of Diversity and Equity, Jennifer Ng. She and I had previously met and had helpful discussions about other issues on campus as they might affect my course, so I thought she might have resources on this as well. I was particularly concerned that connections between the attack and the general political climate, which any discussion would have to draw of necessity, not be received by conservative students in a "partisan" way and cause them to shut down rather than participate. Dr. Ng provided some useful resources geared toward focusing the discussion around specific concrete educational objectives while at the same time acknowledging the emotional impact of the event. In class, I said the discussion could go for as long as students wanted. I had my regular lecture prepared and was ready to move to it if they were done talking after fifteen or twenty minutes. I had them start with five minutes of writing their own thoughts/reactions when they heard the news—not to turn in for evaluation but just to reflect and get their thoughts in order. At first, I was surprised by their responses—except for the Jewish students, many had reacted by classifying the synagogue shooting as one among the numberless mass shootings that take place all the time in the United States, at schools, workplaces, and public places. Their initial lens was not religion or hate crime, but security "in general," gun control, and so on. During the discussion, I did my best to discourage the pattern where I spoke after each student, although sometimes they had specific questions about empirical facts I had to answer. I had prepared just one PowerPoint slide, a screenshot of the killer's account on the social-media service Gab, in case...

Considerations for Continuing Professional Development and Faculty of Color

Dr. Walker: Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI. Correspondence: Alonzo Walker, MD, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; e-mail: [email protected]. A.W. is the Ruth Teske Professor in surgical oncology in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He has been on the faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin for the past 35 years. He has served as the General Surgery Residency Program Director in the Department of Surgery and Interim Chief of General Surgery. Most recently, he served as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs & Diversity and the Interim Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, MD degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and general surgery residency training at the University of Maryland Hospitals, Baltimore, Maryland.

The Abetting Bully: Vicarious Bullying and Unethical Leadership in Higher Education

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomena of vicarious bullying, or an abetting bully, when a bully’s subordinate is used to inflict abuse on the target. This study examines who is most affected by this multi-faceted organizational abuse in American higher education. Background: Workplace bullying has received international attention. Recent studies in the United States have focused on workplace bullying in higher education. However, workplace bullying emerges from an elaborate social structure. This research article brings the unique perspective of vicarious bullying for analysis. Methodology: A data collection from 729 American higher education professionals was used to answer the following three research questions which were addressed in this study: RQ1: What is the overall prevalence of vicarious bullying in American higher education? RQ2: What is the likelihood of experiencing vicarious bullying in American higher education based on gender? RQ3: What is the likelihood of experiencing vicarious bullying in American higher education based on a woman’s race? A chi-square analysis was used to examine which demographic groups are more susceptible to vicarious bullying. Contribution: This article expands the literature on workplace bullying in American higher education by considering how unethical leadership can contribute to and inspire abetting and vicarious bullies who are enabled to maintain the toxic work culture. Findings: This article expands the literature on workplace bullying in American higher education by considering how unethical leadership can contribute to and inspire abetting and vicarious bullies who are enabled to maintain the toxic work culture. Recommendations for Practitioners: Vicarious bullying occurs when the organization fails to curtail managerial abuse. The result is higher turnover for women employees. Working with chief diversity officers and EEO officials can develop policies that stifle this behavior. Recommendation for Researchers: While workplace bullying has gained international attention, the organizational behavior of vicarious bullying is a unique organizational perspective that warrants further study. Impact on Society: Data confirm that women are more likely to leave their organizations to avoid workplace bullying. Women’s departures weaken an organization when they take their insight and knowledge with them. Future Research: Future research can consider the relationship between ethical leadership at the department level and executive level of higher education, and how that might have an impact on the prevalence of workplace bullying.

Structuring Diversity: Chief Diversity Offices as Structural Responses to a Cultural Issue

Aim/Purpose: Higher education has faced increasing perceptions, mainly by students, of unwelcoming campus racial and diversity climates. As a result, during the past decade, there has been a peak in the inaugurations of chief diversity officers. Yet, little is known about how these offices are established. Background: This study explores and describes the emergence of the chief diversity office at two research-intensive universities. Methodology: This study utilizes a qualitative case study to answer the research questions. Contribution: The study provides new knowledge about the impetuses that prompt the formation of chief diversity officers. Further, the findings inform the higher education community about the establishment of chief diversity offices at two universities that might help institutions inaugurate new offices. Findings: Findings illustrated that the formation of the chief diversity office at these research universities represented structural responses to cultural issues on campus. Recommendations for Practitioners: A recommendation for practitioners is to consider a thorough assessment of the campus climate as a means to prompt the formation of a chief diversity office. The structural attributes of the realized unit should be directly associated with the specific context of the respective campus. Recommendation for Researchers: Recommendations for researchers are to empirically address social identity when examining chief diversity officers and to further investigate job and work attitudes, such as organizational commitment or burnout, in these leaders. Impact on Society: Present day colleges and universities are the most diverse in history. Considering changing demographics, it is important to understand how institutions are structurally responding to diversity on campus. Future Research: Future research might investigate the nuanced ways in which institutions of higher education are inaugurating new offices and appointing new diversity leaders. Considering the distinct aspects of diversity, scholars might explore the salient skills or relevant background experiences that colleges and universities are seeking in these new leaders.

Intersectional agencies: Navigating predominantly White institutions as an administrator of color

ABSTRACTAdministrators of color in predominantly White institutions (PWI) navigate from dual positions of privilege and marginalization. Within PWIs, administrators of color experience marginalization in terms of their racial/ethnic makeup. Specifically focusing on the administrative level, 95.8% of executive provosts and 86.2% of deans of academic colleges are White. At the faculty level, nearly 10% of full professors are people of color. However, even with such exclusionary practices, 87.7% of chief diversity officers are racial minorities. The current study seeks to understand how highly educated administrators of color work for diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives while navigating from their dual positions of marginalization and privilege. Using the theoretical lenses of co-cultural theory, dominant group theory, and intersectionality, the study seeks to understand how privilege and marginalization ebbs and flows depending on particular contexts. Findings indicate that optimizing privilege through co-cultural praxis and impeding through mentoring are two common strategies used by administrators of color.

PEG‐peptide Scavenger Receptor Inhibitors for Non‐viral Gene

The rapid capture and degradation of viral and non‐viral gene delivery nanoparticles by scavenger receptors (SR) on Kupffer cells and fenestrated endothelial cells in the liver results in a decreased half life of all nanoparticles in an in vivo system, as well as a lower percentage of the dose available for delivery to the target organ. Current attempts to achieve SR inhibition involves co‐administering high molecular weight, polyanionic inhibitors. Polyinosinic acid (Poly‐I), the most widely used and potent inhibitor, competes for SR binding and successfully inhibits the uptake and metabolism of viral gene delivery nanoparticles in the liver. However, Poly‐I also activates the immune system, resulting in toxicity in mice, making Poly‐I clinically unacceptable.We have discovered peptide based SR inhibitors that block SR uptake of DNA nanoparticles and improves their metabolic half‐life by forming protein nanoparticles in the blood.Radio‐iodinated PEG‐peptides were used to study the pharmacokinetics and biodistribution to understand the structural properties which influence transfection competency and potency. We hypothesized that the in vivo potency and activity is influenced by the stability of protein nanoparticles formed in the blood. Results show that peptides featuring both hydrophobic and positively charged residues are able to potently inhibit scavenger receptor uptake of non viral gene delivery systems.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by the Iowa Biosciences Academy and University of Iowa Pharmacological Sciences T32 training grant. The Iowa Biosciences Academy is supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R25GM058939, the University of Iowa (UI) Office of the Vice President for Research and the UI Chief Diversity Office, the Pharmacological Sciences Training grant T32 GM067795 and NIH grant R01 GM087653.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

The Changing Roles and Contributions of Campus Diversity Offices and Their Influence on Campus Culture

Higher education has struggled to include and support students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented and marginalized groups. In recent years, universities have decided to address these struggles explicitly using a variety of different approaches to better support these groups from mandatory trainings to optional events, from external audits to internal campus climate surveys. One promising approach to providing support to marginalized groups has been to employ campus diversity officers and offices. These offices operate at the executive level and take on campus-wide leadership responsibilities, incorporating inclusive excellence and an equity perspective throughout campus policies, functions and culture. In this article programmatic and policy efforts at two public universities are detailed, spotlighting systemic-proactive and individual-reactive policies and programs needed to advance access, diversity, equity, and inclusion across institutions of higher education. Although the approaches each university takes are site and context specific, they both use the role of chief diversity officer to marshal policy and programmatic change to improve the educational experiences for all who work at and learn at these institutions.

Equity, Inclusion, and Beyond: Today’s Urban Chief Diversity Officer

This paper, based primarily on the author’s perspective as president of SUNY Empire State College, will explore the need for and means of leveraging the chief diversity officer’s role in creating an equitable and inclusive environment within the distributed world that is Empire State College’s “campus” and, specifically, within SUNY Empire’s urban environments. Empire State College fills a unique role in today’s higher-education landscape. It was founded in 1971 by Ernest Boyer, then the chancellor of the State University of New York, to make education accessible outside the confines of traditional curricular and delivery structures, and to better meet the needs of New Yorkers with locations, academic programming, and student services responsive to diverse communities and learners. Today, Empire State College continues to embrace and fulfill that mission, with individualized education as its cornerstone and nearly 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 34 academic centers around the state of New York, in several countries overseas and online around the world. The vast majority of its undergraduate students have attended at least one previous institution, are employed, and are likely to have family and dependent-care obligations. The college is purposefully nonresidential, designed to be where our students live and work. Students can choose structured or individualized academic programs, depending on discipline, and have the options of classroom-based, online, or independent study, as well as weekend residencies, or a hybrid of education delivery via these modes.

New audiences for old books: Using astronomy archives in school outreach activities

The Royal Astronomical Society promotes the study of astronomy and geophysics and has recently committed to increasing public engagement with new audiences. The librarian, Sian Prosser has worked with the outreach, education and diversity officer, Sheila Kanani, to put the scientific archives of the Society at the heart of a primary school workshop telling the story of Caroline Herschel.