Diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to driving organizational excellence. Below are several resources related to diversity, including CUPA-HR’s new position statement and action plan for promoting diversity and inclusion in the higher education workplace.

Inclusion Cultivates Excellence: CUPA-HR’s Position Statement and Action Plan

Why Now?

In a recent Higher Ed Workplace blog post, CUPA-HR President and CEO Andy Brantley offers his perspective on the importance and timeliness of this work.

We must do this work because it is needed now and because we can.

• It is because we sit at a crossroads in every institution that every employee comes across that puts us in a position to take a leadership role and proactively influence action now.
• The expertise and assistance that HEHR professionals are best suited to provide differs at different levels within our institutions, so we must equip ourselves now to provide the best guidance possible to all employees to make certain that our institutions achieve their excellence goals and remain vital well into the future.

Read Andy’s full post on The Higher Ed Workplace blog.

Definitions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As the CUPA-HR board of directors began its work on the position statement and action plan in 2010, the first step was to clearly define diversity, equity and inclusion. The board agreed to use the definitions laid out by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U):

• Diversity: Individual differences (e.g., personality, learning styles, and life experiences) and group/social differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and ability as well as cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations) that can be engaged in the service of learning.
• Inclusion: The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity — in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect — in ways that increase one’s awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within [and change] systems and institutions.
• Equity: The creation of opportunities for historically underrepresented populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success and completion.

Diversity and Inclusion Links from the Knowledge Center

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a sampling of information and resources available.

CUPA-HR’s The Higher Education Workplace, Fall 2011 (diversity and inclusion issue)

Defining Diversity (NPR)

Managing Eggshell Situations (Human Resource Executive Online)

Reverse Discrimination and Diversity (Human Resource Executive Online)

The 3 Ws: The Who, What and Why of Diversity Governance (Diversity Executive)

Level Three Diversity (Diversity Executive)