Reflections on diversity

As I travel across Indiana and the country, I am frequently asked, "What is going on at Indiana? What happened to the University's commitment to diversity and equity?" Of course, as one who has held a senior leadership position at IU for more than two decades on three separate occasions, I do my utmost to convey a balanced and positive reply. Yet despite my best efforts and the University's historic leadership role with respect to diversity, many of the questioners appear perplexed or not fully convinced of the University's continuing commitment to diversity. \nSince assuming University-wide leadership for IU's diversity and retention efforts nearly a decade ago, I have heard countless members of the community assert their commitment to diversity and equity. Those words can be found in the mission statements for each of the campuses, academic and administrative planning documents, and job advertisements in national publications and journals. While the University has made modest gains in enhancing the climate for diversity, the barometer has barely moved in areas that reflect fundamental changes in its character. These include minority undergraduate and graduate enrollment, the ethnic composition of the faculty, the presence of minority staff in areas beyond offices whose work focuses on diversity, and the presence of underrepresented minorities in leadership positions at the department, school, campus or University levels. \nA few years ago, IU was the first among a handful of major universities to create a vice-presidential-level position related to diversity, the first to appoint a female as chancellor of its flagship campus, the first to allocate funds to support its diversity and retention efforts, the first to file an amicus brief in support of the University of Michigan admissions lawsuits, and the second Big Ten university to hire a black president. About three years later, IU captured local and national headlines when the faculty expressed strong concerns and discontent with the leadership of the University's 17th president, who subsequently announced his plan to step down when his contract ended in 2008. \nIn considering where IU currently stands with regard to diversity and equity, I have asked myself two additional questions: First, what are the concrete manifestations of the University's commitment to diversity? Second, what must the University do to make its vision for diversity a reality?\nWhile the questions are slightly different, I believe the answers are the same. The leadership for diversity must be distributed throughout all levels of the University, from the trustees to the president, vice presidents, chancellors, deans, chairs and directors. Strategic investments must be made in faculty diversification, P-12 outreach, student recruitment and financial aid, and those in leadership positions must be held to higher levels of accountability.\nTo make genuine progress, diversity must be fully embraced rather than simply espoused. A major part of embracing diversity means making the requisite investments and holding ourselves accountable, individually and collectively. Only then will diversity become an integral part of the University's mission, and only then will the University fulfill its highest potential for excellence.