Dr. Edna B. Chun is an award-winning author and educational thought leader with more than two decades of strategic human resource and diversity leadership experience in public higher education. Dr. Chun has co-authored eleven books and numerous journal articles in the areas of talent management, human resources, and diversity.
During the course of this semester, in the face of challenges to diversity training due to the Executive Order on combating race and sex stereotypes issued by Donald Trump on September 22, our graduate Effective Partnership Strategies (EPS) class in Human Capital Management benefited from the courageous insights of institutional leaders wrestling with the implications of the order. The Executive Order bans diversity training by federal contractors and agencies using “divisive concepts” such as the “the pernicious and false belief that America is an irredeemably racist and sexist country” or that individuals can consciously or implicitly act in racist or sexist ways. According to the Office of Management and Budget, trainings that discuss critical race theory, white privilege, and unconscious bias could be subject to investigation. In fact, a hotline was created for reporting “violations” of the Executive Order that by the end of October had received 140 calls.
Take, for example, President Robert Nelsen of California State University, Sacramento, who shared his firm conviction with the class that there is “no space for inaction” following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. As a result, Sacramento State has initiated a comprehensive Anti-racism and Inclusive Campus Plan. Dr. Robert Sellers, Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Michigan visited our class and described the intangible goal of making DEI part of the university’s DNA and operational processes and not a contested value. He explained that this has actually taken place at UM where the value of diversity is no longer questioned, a remarkable achievement in light of Michigan’s proposition 2 in 2006 banning affirmative action in hiring, public education, or contracting. And in his guest lecture, Dr. Dennis Mitchell, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Professor. of Dental Medicine at Columbia, shared the work of his office in beginning diversity conversations in a program titled “Addressing Racism: A Call to Action for Higher Education.” The PROP course (power, racism opportunity, and privilege) offered by the School of Social Work became the basis for a mini-institute on addressing anti-black bias offered to faculty and university leadership. Dr. Mitchell warned that because the spotlight on diversity has shifted over time, it is critical to put programs in place that are sustainable after the spotlight moves.
It is critical to put programs in place that are sustainable after the spotlight moves."
In the School of Professional Studies this fall, I had the privilege of joining a group of committed faculty led by the Office of Faculty Affairs in a sub-committee on Faculty, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Collectively, and under the leadership of Associate Dean Melinda Starmer, and Jennifer Goez, Senior Director, Faculty Recruitment and Communications Strategy, the committee began the process of drafting a comprehensive mission statement, needs assessment, roll-out of spring faculty training, and DEI glossary of terms. Our work has made significant progress and will coordinate with the larger SPS Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the spring. Furthermore, the DEI Event Series in SPS over the course of the academic year is providing in-depth perspectives on diversity in the corporate, non-profit, and higher education sectors.
Our work has made significant progress and will coordinate with the larger SPS Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion."
One of the chief take-aways from the external panel of experts attending the final team presentations in the EPS course, Dr. Rose Razaghian, Dr. Bryan Cook, and Dr. David Chu, was the vital importance of DEI competencies in organizational culture, performance management, and leadership. I am heartened by the commitment of the SPS and the larger Columbia University community to advance diversity that will undoubtedly yield great benefits in strengthening student learning outcomes and realizing the aspirational values of our diverse democracy.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of any other person or entity.
