(NAME-MCE) Role of Chief Diversity Officers (K-12?)

[Ayouby, Kenneth K]

Hello all,

To those in the know, are there any similar positions--"czars of diversity" at the K-12 levels in school districts across the nation? It would instructive for those who know to share information regarding "diversity officers" at the K-12 level and their job descriptions/role areas. I am interested in learning more about this matter in order to make a case for it in my school district.

Kenneth K. Ayouby

-----Original Message-----
From: name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org [mailto:name-mce-bounces at nameorg.org] On Behalf Of Anselmo Villanueva
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:31 AM
To: name-mce at nameorg.org
Subject: (NAME-MCE) Role of Chief Diversity Officers



Chief diversity officers should report to presidents or chief academic
officers, and these officers need the authority to interact with all parts
of institutions to be effective. Those are among the recommendations of a
new monograph, *The Chief Diversity Officer: A Primer for College and
University Presidents,*<http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases2&CONTENTID=25328&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm>released
Monday by the American Council on Education. The authors are Damon
A. Williams, assistant vice provost for multicultural and international
affairs at the University of Connecticut, and Katrina C. Wade-Golden, senior
research scientist at the University of Michigan Office of Academic
Multicultural Initiatives.

http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases2&CONTENTID=25328&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm

*CONTACT:*
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 939-9365
kellee_edmonds at ace.nche.edu
New Monograph Offers Guidance and Insight Into the Role of Chief Diversity
Officers and Their Emergence in Academe

*Washington, DC (Jan. 28, 2008)-*The authors of a new primer on the
emergence and role of chief diversity officers (CDOs) at the nation's
colleges and universities conclude that "without dedicated diversity
leadership that focuses on driving the wheel of change as a matter of first
priority, campuses will continue to flounder in their diversity efforts."

Damon A. Williams, assistant vice provost for multicultural and
international affairs at the University of Connecticut, and Katrina C.
Wade-Golden, senior research scientist at the University of Michigan's
Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, reach that conclusion in a
monograph published by the American Council on Education (ACE).

*The Chief Diversity Officer: A Primer for College and University Presidents
* is the third in a series of occasional papers by ACE's Center for
Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Equity (CAREE). The publication was
produced with support from ING.

Williams and Wade-Golden tackle some of the following questions: What is a
chief diversity officer? How are their capabilities designed? How can they
play a key role in developing and delivering the diversity goals and
objectives of the institutions they serve?

"With this monograph we really wanted to infuse discipline and clarity into
the process of developing chief diversity officer capabilities in higher
education," said Williams. "Too often, presidents are forced to reinvent the
wheel because they don't have a solid grasp of the who, what, and how of the
CDO. With this monograph, and our impending book, we have hopefully made a
contribution that higher education leaders can innovate from as they develop
dynamic diversity capabilities at their respective institutions."

"The prolific emergence of this capability within higher education is in
accord with key societal trends to move the diversity and inclusion
discussion from the periphery to the center," added Wade-Golden. "It also
underscores the critical importance for leadership to capitalize on this
significant moment in time by giving deep consideration to the type of
individual to fulfill the role within a specific institutional context, and
equipping that officer with the requisite level of resources to accomplish
their work with excellence."

The paper takes a close look at the growth of chief diversity officers on
U.S. campuses in recent years, explains three models of organizational
diversity in higher education, offers strategic guidance for college and
university presidents considering launching the CDO capability on their
campus, and makes recommendations designed to help campus leaders create an
environment for chief diversity officers to thrive.

Among the authors' key recommendations:

   - The CDO should report to the president or chief academic officer of
   the institution.
   - Senior leadership should charge the CDO to work as an integrator,
   collaborating with key departments across the institution.
   - Senior leadership must provide CDOs with both symbolic and material
   resources to encourage the change process on campus.

"It is clear that chief diversity officers are playing an increasingly vital
role on the senior leadership team of college and university campuses," said
Diana I. Córdova, director of CAREE.  "But presidents and chancellors tell
us they continue to look for ways to leverage their skills to achieve
maximum benefit with students and faculty-we hope this monograph can provide
campus leaders with some guidance and new ideas."

"At ING, diverse representation among our customer base is a business
imperative. Diversity among our customers is directly correlated to diverse
representation among our employees and distribution partners," said Ethel
Pippin, ING vice president.  "Consistent with the recommendations of this
monograph, ING has recently elevated the chief diversity officer role and
has expanded the focus on increasing diverse representation within each core
business unit in the U.S."

The publication concludes with perspectives from two university presidents:
Rebecca S. Chopp, president of Colgate University, and Mark A. Emmert,
president of the University of Washington, who offer their own insight into
this important topic.

As part of ACE's 90th Annual Meeting next month in San Diego, Williams and
Wade-Golden will participate in a session on chief diversity officers
co-sponsored by the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher
Education. They are also the authors of the forthcoming book *The Chief
Diversity Officer: Strategy, Structure, and Change Management.*

Copies of *The Chief Diversity Officer: A Primer for College and University
Presidents* (Item # 311683*)* are available for $25 plus shipping and
handling via the ACE bookstore at
www.acenet.edu/bookstore<http://tk.publicaster.com/DC/ctr.aspx?6C6164=31313538363938&736272=1733&747970=6874&66=30>.
Orders may also be placed through ACE Fulfillment Service, Department 191,
Washington, DC, 20055 or by calling (301) 632-6757.

*Editor's Note:* A PDF of the report is available to reporters upon request.
Please contact Kellee Edmonds at e-mail address above.

*Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's
higher education institutions*, *representing more than 1,600 college and
university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide.
It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education
issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program
initiatives.*
_______________________________________________
This is a mailing of the National Association for Multicultural Education -
(NAME) Listserv list - www.nameorg.org. The materials included reflect diverse perspectives of NAME Listserv participants and do not necessarily reflect a position of the National Association for Multicultural Education. If you would like to subscribe (or unsubscribe)to this listserv go to http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org. You can read all past postings in the archives at http://mail.nameorg.org/pipermail/name-mce_nameorg.org/



Name-mce mailing list
Name-mce at nameorg.org
http://mail.nameorg.org/mailman/listinfo/name-mce_nameorg.org