How Universities Are Aligning DEI Actions with Words

Universities are expected to be champions of inclusivity. Students from all over the globe and from all backgrounds should be able to find not only academic achievement but also personal growth when they attend a university. In an increasingly diverse world, higher education has been facing immense pressure to make faster changes that champion an inclusive, human-first approach.  

A case in point: the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will soon require diversity-contribution statements from all faculty members for tenure and promotion. This development is significant. It underscores the need for institutions of higher learning to embed their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities in every aspect of their operations beyond campus-related efforts. 

How Some Universities Are Paving the Way 

Recently, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis approved and unveiled a new DEI-related track to tenure and promotion. Similarly, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Andreas C. Cangellaris, vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost, announced that they will now require all faculty members to submit a diversity statement to be considered for tenure or promotion. This program will accept diversity statements from promotion and tenure candidates on a voluntary basis through the 2024–25 academic year; after that, they’ll be mandatory.

Each statement will detail “specific individual and/or collaborative activities aimed at supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as access.” Candidates will be required to “include a discussion of the context, importance, and impact of their contributions along with their future plans for contributions. The candidate may choose to organize the statement by topic, activity, domain (e.g., research, teaching, and service), or in another manner.”   

Zooming out a bit, universities across the nation are introducing and testing new standards to support DEI goals. One of the most popular practices being faculty and/or students themselves adding DEI personal statements for admittance or as part of the hiring process at the scale of individual schools within the university.  

While the University of Illinois is not the first higher education institute to implement this kind of program, it stands out because as the 11th largest college in the United States, its plan will require this as a standard for university admittance and the hiring process size; not just the individual schools within them. 

Creating such a program as a standard practice among large universities allows for deeper DEI implementation to be a standard. For example, a philosophy professor might chair a committee to examine departmental policies and practices that may create bias in mentoring graduate students, or a physicist might revise an undergraduate course to develop students’ awareness and understanding of the work of scholars from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in physics – among many other opportunities the university shared. 

With universities already being responsible for a number of DEI activities such as antiracism initiatives and offering campus belonging resources, these types of programs are typically focused on making the student experience more inclusive. By requiring faculty to embrace embed DEI practices at large campuses like University of Illinois, it creates an elevated standard for more transparency for higher education and their HR practices. 

Making DEI practices a standard for the internal hiring process means that universities are actively building a purpose-driven environment that is open for all students. The mission seeks to change the mentality that diverse clubs, programs and workshops are mutually exclusive outlets for the student population but not the faculty. This initiative to include personal diversity statements as part of the internal hiring process ensures the official representatives and faculty responsible for decisions that directly interact and/or affect students are not only aware of the weight of the position but also fit for it. 

Prioritizing a DEI Environment at Your University  

The events of 2020 inspired colleges everywhere to take a stand against racism in a variety of ways. With this heightened social responsibility, it’s crucial to showcase how diversity and inclusion is ingrained throughout the entire organization. In fact, college students are eager to make DEI part of their higher education experience.  

It’s not enough to simply mention diversity and inclusion in academic offerings and enrollment practices without taking action to back up these claims. Higher education institutions are increasingly expected to demonstrate how DEI permeates the entire institution  

One way of doing that is to incorporate diversity and inclusion into the curriculum.  According to the U.S. Department of Education wrote, “Research shows that campus leadership, including a diverse faculty, plays an important role in achieving inclusive institutions. Faculty members’ curricular decisions and pedagogy, including their individual interactions with students, can foster inclusive climates. Also, students report that it is important for them to see themselves reflected in the faculty and curriculum to which they are exposed to create a sense of belonging and inclusiveness.” 

It’s also important that universities be transparent in reporting their progress toward the development of a more inclusive organization. Transparency means reporting actual progress made against tangible goals, such as closing the gender pay gap or promoting people from diverse backgrounds. To that end, a public announcement such as the University of Illinois’ is so important. This makes the university accountable for reporting progress toward meeting its DEI goals down the line.  

The key for a university that decides to implement these practices is dedication. Real dedication to implementing DEI programs and practices requires transparency. This can be shown by dedicating a public display of progress of the program and its direct effects. A strong outlet this can be hosted on is the university’s official website with a section dedicated to inclusion, the dedicated DEI research and university accountability progress to publish on the site over a period of years. This is a natural place for the university to update students and prospective students on its journey.  

The need for universities to align their internal actions with public activities is one of six trends that Investis Digital discusses in a newly published white paper, Higher Education Marketing: Six Trends in Online Higher Ed.  

This white paper provides a snapshot of the current and future higher education landscape, including how to: 

• Implement better SEO practices for your university’s content 
• Amplify your academic programs to get the most visibility 
• Showcase your purpose-driven initiatives across the right platforms 

This guide is based on our experience helping colleges and universities use digital to recruit students. Download the white paper  to start increasing enrollments for the upcoming academic year.  

Contact Investis Digital  

To start your enrollment journey contact us or learn more about our Connected Content Approach, here.