In this edited volume, diversity practitioners in the field of higher education speak about the transformative journeys that led them to become Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs). Not always an easy path, chapter authors lay bare the challenges and successes of doing this important work in a society that is becoming increasingly hostile to their efforts. The narratives in this intriguing volume unpack the various pathways for DEI practitioners to practice their craft, step into the CDO role, and maintain a sense of self and wholeness while doing so. Full of wisdom and practical insights, this volume helps CDOs understand how to focus on educational priorities that champion access and affordability, equity and social mobility, belonging, and the promise of education, while building bridges across differences. Chapters conclude with key insights to reiterate major lessons from each author’s journey, along with guiding questions for reflection. Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education Today is written for practitioners at all levels of higher education, but especially aspiring diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders. It’s also an important resource for current CDOs in their efforts to support institutions seeking to fulfill their educational mission and strengthen the enrichment of undergraduate, graduate, and professional level scholars.

This volume addresses the role of chief diversity officers as coordinating and integrating diversity leaders in higher education and other sectors.Having established in a companion volume the parameters for an effective diversity strategy, the authors address such questions as: What is a chief diversity officer? How might we create dynamic chief diversity officer infrastructures? What models of CDO structure exist in the academy? What misperceptions often confound the work of officers and the institutions they work within? What key competencies are necessary to lead as a CDO? How does the CDO role compare across higher education, non-profit, and corporate sectors? And how might the role serve as an important contributor to a collaborative vision for change and transformation in the academy?This book begins by delineating the evolution of the chief diversity officer role in the academy. Drawing on extensive qualitative and quantitative research on CDOs conducted for the purposes of this volume, it describes how the scope and responsibilities are variously defined at the organizations where the position has been created, and offers insights into the complexities and challenges of the role.On the basis of this data and the literature on organizational design and change management, the authors define the requisite skills, knowledge and background to be effective, review the alternative organizational and governance structures under which CDOs operate, and in so doing present the Chief Diversity Officer Development Framework as a basis for recruiting candidates, for structuring the position to succeed, and for providing prospective and incumbent CDOs with a realistic sense of the scope of the role.This title is also available in a set with its companion volume, Strategic Diversity Leadership.

In today’s world – whether viewed through a lens of educational attainment, economic development, global competitiveness, leadership capacity, or social justice and equity – diversity is not just the right thing to do, it is the only thing to do! Following the era of civil rights in the 1960s and ‘70s, the 1990s and early 21st century have seen both retrenchment and backlash years, but also a growing recognition, particularly in business and the military, that we have to educate and develop the capacities of our citizens from all levels of society and all demographic and social groups to live fulfilling lives in an inter-connected globe.For higher education that means not only increasing the numbers of diverse students, faculty, and staff, but simultaneously pursuing excellence in student learning and development, as well as through research and scholarship – in other words pursuing what this book defines as strategic diversity leadership. The aim is to create systems that enable every student, faculty, and staff member to thrive and achieve to maximum potential within a diversity framework. This book is written from the perspective that diversity work is best approached as an intellectual endeavor with a pragmatic focus on achieving results that takes an evidence-based approach to operationalizing diversity. It offers an overarching conceptual framework for pursuing diversity in a national and international context; delineates and describes the competencies, knowledge and skills needed to take effective leadership in matters of diversity; offers new data about related practices in higher education; and presents and evaluates a range of strategies, organizational structures and models drawn from institutions of all types and sizes. It covers such issues as the reorganization of the existing diversity infrastructure, building accountability systems, assessing the diversity process, and addressing legal threats to implementation. Its purpose is to help strategic diversity leaders combine big-picture thinking with an on-the-ground understanding of organizational reality and work strategically with key stakeholders and allies. This book is intended for presidents, provosts, chief diversity officers or diversity professionals, and anyone who wants to champion diversity and embed its objectives on his or her campus, whether at the level of senior administration, as members of campus organizations or committees, or as faculty, student affairs professionals or students taking a leadership role in making and studying the process of change.This title is also available in a set with its companion volume, The Chief Diversity Officer.

As community colleges continue to be significant in the national landscape of higher education by providing access to education and job training to diverse constituents, conversations about the support for strategic diversity leadership are paramount. Now more than ever, senior leaders must be intentional in aligning strategy with outcomes and guidance in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Leaders must be diligent in pursuing an inclusive excellence agenda and promoting a strategy to support positive outcomes that impact cross-college collaboration that advances education completion and support. This practitioner’s guide will provide timely and relevant insight on the ultimate benefits of strategic diversity leadership to promote inclusive excellence at community colleges. This book offers tangible resources and discusses the role of the chief diversity officer. This book will significantly benefit those interested in learning more about diversity and inclusion at community colleges and will provide insight into strategic diversity leadership. The book provides an in-depth view of the roles and responsibilities of the chief diversity officer, diversity strategic planning, and examines the various roles of diversity leaders at community colleges.

Abstract: Chief Diversity Officers remain a relatively new phenomenon among higher education executive leadership positions. Existing literature on CDOs’ professional profile, their ability to impact campus climate for diversity, and their obstacles in the pursuit of campus climate change and deeper cultural transformation is still quite limited. This basic qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 13 chief diversity officers and two senior diversity professionals working at public colleges and universities in the United States.

Leading a Diversity Culture Shift in Higher Education offers a practical and timely guide for launching, implementing, and institutionalizing diversity organizational learning. The authors draw from extensive interviews with chief diversity officers and college and university leaders to reveal the prevailing models and best practices for strengthening diversity practices within the higher education community today. They complement this original research with an analysis of key contextual factors that shape the organizational learning process including administrative leadership, institutional mission and goals, historical legacy, geographic location, and campus structures and politics. Given the substantive challenge of engendering a cultural shift for diversity in a university setting, this book will serve as a concrete primer for institutions seeking to develop a systematic and progressive approach to diversity organizational learning. Readers will be able to engage with provocative case studies that grapple with the current pressures emanating from diversity training and learn effective strategies for creating more inclusive environments. This book is a perfect resource for institutional leaders, administrators, faculty members, and key campus constituencies who are seeking transformational change, institutional success, and stability in a rapidly diversifying national and global environment.