The University of Chicago has recently released a progress report on its campus-wide Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. The report is broken down into four sections: infrastructure, climate, people, and community. In each section, the university details how each area of the institution has made improvements to the school’s overall diversity over the past year and a half.
In terms of infrastructure, the university established the D+I Studio and the D&I Planning Toolkit. The studio conducts meaningful research to design solutions to issues that emerge as the campus seeks to become more diverse and inclusive, while the toolkit provides university faculty and staff with guidelines on how to create diversity and inclusion plans for their respective units. Additionally, the university has focused on fostering new partnerships, organized staff diversity and inclusion meetings, and expanded equal opportunity programs.
In terms of climate, the university has been dedicated to creating an environment in which all students feel fully included in the classroom. Some of these efforts include establishing inclusion teaching initiatives, student resource groups, and strategic partnerships. Additionally, the university has given special priority to grant proposals that support diversity.
A main goal of the Diversity & Inclusion Initiative is to increase faculty and staff diversity. This has been done through developing better faculty search tools, offering staff search training, creating pathway programs, and launching training on holistic graduate school admissions.
Additionally, the university has extended their Diversity & Inclusion Initiative into the surrounding community. Through the Office of Civic Engagement, the university has provided academic resources to local organizations, created workshops, and launched a Community Development Working Group. The university has also partnered with the University of Puerto Rico to provide support for students, scholars, and artists who were affected by Hurricane Irma and Maria.
The full report can be accessed here.
