Welcome to the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) website. We are an evolving entity at the university as we process change, development, and transformation, not only within the work of the division, but also in our surrounding university communities. We are only a few years in the making and have experienced numerous successes, thanks to a strong, high performing staff and leadership team. As a division, our diversity values are:
- A diverse student body, faculty, staff and administration
- A student-centered university that acknowledges student success as a top priority
- The pursuit of knowledge through diverse traditions and inclusive efforts
- Accountability and action towards the success and management of diversity
- A welcoming environment that encourages diversity of thought, continuous personal growth and academic attainment for all members of the Kent State University family
- Engagement and collaboration across difference
- A focus on inclusive excellence in everything that we do
These values are at the core of our mission and vision and ultimately drive the achievement of our work. As we continue to meet the challenge of making diversity more equitable and inclusive, Kent State has become a culture that has high value for the success of all students.The concept of Students First achieves the purpose of education by interlocking all facets of the university towards that end goal. The work of DEImust fit seamlessly into the campus living and learning environment to ensure that student success happens across all variables of difference.If we are to educate our students to think critically, expand their intellectual horizonsand prepare them for responsible citizenship and productive careers, diversity is the key that unlocks insurmountable opportunities. As noted in the Kent State vision, we exist to change lives, expand dynamic leadership, and partner with others in pursuit of academic excellence. Faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and community partners serve as collaborators in advancing Kent Stateas the model for the innovative nature of diversity that supports student success.
Diversity is to be ingrained in everything that we do to establish a culture and climate whereby each member of the university family is valued and respected.With inclusive excellence as our guide, we are taking the concept of Students Firstto new heights. Diversity remains an essential element of the Kent State brand. Diversity not only increase the quality of education, it becomes the core element that produce education at its best, not just for some of our students, but all of our students. In this respect quality and diversity are synonymous. The DEI vision for Students Firstis to do no less than create a new reality; one in which diversity, equity and inclusion describe who we are and what we do. One important factor is engagement. To experiencea more welcoming, inclusive climate and increased interaction among all people at the university, we have to agree to unite by way of an intentionalpersonal commitment. Each person, student, faculty, administrator andstaff can offer a personal commitment to take action, small or large, to advance an inclusive and welcoming university, producing a cultural shift that says loud and clear - diversity is about everyone one of us.
In practical terms, how does this university-wide initiative work? What are the connections between faculty, staff and student diversity initiatives? And how does the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion assist and help to increase the diversity and quality of our most valued entity, the student body?Allow me give you some examples of how this might work within the framework of four priorities:
Collegiality and Collaboration:
Though the focus of some initiatives may appear narrow, the goal is to promote inclusion and equity for all - to raise the overall quality of our mission of research, learning and service, and to establish a new baseline for excellence.The special effort for faculty includes a comprehensive retention and recruitment outreach and mentoring plan, including education and training focused on uniform guidelines for the search and selection process, and the promotion of equity in hiring. Further, DEI is building a pipeline database that is used to identify and build relationships with rising underrepresented academic stars. The Compact for Diverse Faculty is a recruitment conference supported by deans and department chairs, held annually each fall semester. The conference consists of more than 700 PhD scholars from a variety of disciplines who are being prepared for teaching in the academy. DEI along with Kent State deans and department chairs have begun building relationships with promising PhD students as they complete their degrees with the potential to be recruited to KSU as new African American, Latino American and Native American faculty.
Faculty outreach also includes spring and fall workshops designed with new and junior faculty in mind provided by stellar researchers as speakers. Surveys are taken to better understand the perspectives of faculty for topic variety. Although the workshop targetsunderrepresented junior faculty, anyone who wants to attend may do so. Speakers also engage with deans and department chairs to support the recruitment and retention of new faculty.
Scholarly Pursuits and Scholarship:
Connecting with faculty who are interested in diversity research, this partnership provides a uniform and comprehensive way to address university diversity - to weave diversity more fully into research and scholarship. Our success will be measured by the amount of published diversity research, as well as by the increased funding going into diversity collaborations. We also expect additional funding from this research success to go back to colleges and divisions to support diversity initiatives across the university. Every two years DEI offers an invitation to faculty who are interested in working with DEI for a two-year term. More information about the Provost Faculty Associates in DEI can be found on the DEI website. There is a high value to research that utilizes inter-connectedness. Crossing cultures and academic disciplines takes a researcher beyond what he or she already knows, stretching the boundaries of knowledge.
Diversity Scorecard:
A key initiative in the pursuit of diversity and inclusion, the diversity scorecard is a practical way to analyze university and individual unit progress in support of African American, Latino American and Native Americanstudents, faculty and staff. We collect and disseminate baseline data for designated populations, to provide an ongoing institutional self-assessment process. University unit teams, comprised of top leadership, faculty, staff and institutional researchers, analyze and interpret data based upon metrics, improvement targets, strategies and timelines the teams identify. Results include strategic actions aligned with precise data, rather than data assumptions.
The scorecard gives the university accurate and detailed information on which to base programmatic initiatives and policy revisions for each division and college. The unit teams will then have the best data to develop individualized performance goals and benchmarks that are unique and specific to unit areas.
Thank you for visiting the DEI website. Please feel free to contact my office for additional information or any help you might need. We are at a great point in the history of Kent State. Incorporating diversity principles into the management and engagement of our systems and processes throughout all of our campuses is a fluid process that will transform our university as we move confidently and inclusively toward the future.
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