Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are core to the mission of the University of Illinois. The University is dedicated to providing access and opportunity for all students, faculty, and staff, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, language, culture, national origin, religious or spiritual commitments, age, and (dis)ability status. So that all members of our campus community can thrive, the University pursues equitable practices to acknowledge and address current, as well as historical, structural inequalities that advantage some and disadvantage others. The University seeks to be inclusive through intentional, ongoing efforts to ensure all members of our campus community are respected, enjoy a sense of belonging, and are able to participate and achieve to their full potential. The University’s emphasis on DEI aligns with growing scholarly evidence that equipping individuals to work alongside others who may not share the same backgrounds and experiences enhances creativity and innovation. The University has a responsibility to develop future leaders who can collaborate in the diverse and global settings of contemporary society.
The University System’s Guiding Principles recognize that DEI are fundamental to our institution: “The University of Illinois System has the privilege and responsibility to cultivate the immense talents of diverse students, faculty, staff, and leaders. Healthy relationships—defined by mutual respect, trust, and an expectation of transparency and fair treatment—are the collective responsibility of all our members; no one can afford to be a bystander when it comes to ensuring full participation of everyone in every sphere of our campus communities. . . Diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences enriches campus conversations in and out of the classroom, inspires our creative endeavors, and drives innovative solutions to the world’s problems.”
Our campus strategic plan, The Next 150, puts DEI at the center of our shared vision: “We will be leaders in advancing diversity and equity that will contribute to creating an institution committed to excellence in discovery, teaching, and research, and a climate where all can achieve their highest aspirations in a safe and welcoming environment.”
A faculty member’s DEI contributions will be related to their scholarly expertise and/or role as an instructor or administrator at the University. Regardless of their area of scholarship, all faculty can make efforts toward enhancing DEI. How an individual faculty member decides to do so will vary, as will the extent of their efforts. The University recognizes that DEI contributions will be more central for some faculty than others.
Examples of potential DEI activities in the research, teaching, and service domains are provided in the tables in the following pages. Within each domain, activities can be at the individual, programmatic, or institutional level. Some activities may cut across domains or levels. The examples provided in the tables are not normative or prescriptive but rather illustrative of the type of work that may contribute to the DEI mission within the broader context of a faculty member’s research, teaching, and service. It is not expected that any individual faculty member will perform DEI activities in all domains or at all levels. Faculty should choose to pursue DEI activities most appropriate for their own professional endeavors.1
- The framework for the diversity, equity, and inclusion activities presented in the table was guided by the University of Oregon guidelines as
shared in the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Report, Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of
Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (p. 109). ↩︎
Examples of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Activities
- Individual Activities – DEI efforts of individual faculty in the context of their specific research programs or classes.
- Programmatic Activities – DEI work establishing or providing significant leadership through formalized programs.
- Institutional Activities – DEI work contributing to strengthening institutional policy or practice.
Research Examples
Addressing equity and inclusion issues in research
Individual Activities
- A law professor studies how bankruptcy law is applied differently to Blacks and whites
- A history professor studies the history of discrimination against Evangelical Christians
Programmatic Activities
- An engineer develops a large-scale collaboration to identify the best way to deliver efficient, inexpensive WIFI to rural areas
- A Psychology professor leads a research team of faculty and community members that develops and evaluates a STEM education program for Black and Latinx youth
Institutional Activities
- A campus institute director establishes a research initiative addressing issues of racial inequity in the local community
- Faculty from across campus begin a new interdisciplinary initiative to understand how factors, such as socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, and age, shape perspectives on misinformation in the media
Studying individuals from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in an area
Individual Activities
- An agricultural faculty member studies mental health among members of farming communities in the Quad cities area.
- An education professor studies first generation college students’ feelings of exclusion at an elite university
Programmatic Activities
- An English professor organizes an annual summer workshop on the work of transgender authors
- An anthropologist brings together scholars studying the storytelling practices of indigenous people
Institutional Activities
- A labor and employment Relations professor establishes a campus-wide gender in higher education research initiative
- Faculty studying children’s development work with the local park district to set up a research site in a facility serving families impacted by trauma and violence in their home and community
Examining perspectives of people from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in research; addressing questions of interest to communities historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in academia
Individual Activities
- A biology professor creates a system within their lab to ensure that perspectives of students from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented shape research questions, design, and interpretation
- A sociologist includes citizen scientists from an inner-city neighborhood in every stage of research on understanding violence in affecting the citizens in the community
Programmatic Activities
- An environmental studies faculty engages with council members of tribal groups in the Southwest to co-develop multiple environmental impact studies
- A dance professor assembles a company to conduct performances that bring together perspectives and voices of community members from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in the arts
Institutional Activities
- A communications professor forms an advisory panel that includes individuals from various backgrounds to provide University-wide guidance on social media practices
- Science faculty develop a program around best practices in mentoring to support all team members, particularly members of groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in the discipline
Enhancing one’s own and colleagues’ knowledge and skills through various professional development opportunities on any of the above types of research or other types of research related to DEI
Individual Activities
- A medical school professor attends a workshop on culturally responsive approaches to recruit groups underrepresented in medical research
- An economics professor attends a workshop on how environmental policies create health issues in underdeveloped countries
Programmatic Activities
- A political scientist facilitates a workshop on how to study governments in underdeveloped countries underrepresented in research
- A computer scientist develops and leads a workshop to help the field better study fairness and transparency in machine learning
Institutional Activities
- An engineering faculty member develops and delivers a workshop for assistant professors on campus that focuses on enhancing intergroup communication skills as they lead lab groups
Teaching Examples
Inclusion of diverse perspectives and scholars in instruction
Individual Activities
- A physicist revises an undergraduate course to develop students’ awareness and understanding of the work of scholars from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in physics
- An information science professor invites guest speakers in a graduate course to share perspectives from different religious and nonreligious groups on how they conceive “truth”
Programmatic Activities
- A history professor creates a student advisory panel to provide input into the representation of diverse perspectives in courses department wide
Institutional Activities
- Faculty from across campus create University-wide guidelines to help instructors create an inclusive and equitable classroom environment
Incorporation of equity and inclusion elements in teaching
Individual Activities
- An agriculture professor integrates readings and discussion on themes of equity and inclusion within a course on mental health
- A chemistry professor uses practices to ensure all class members feel included during group work
Programmatic Activities
- A speech and hearing professor makes pedagogical innovations to a course taught by multiple instructors to increase educational access for disabled students
- Several mathematics professors analyze historical grade data and run focus groups with women students to investigate gender equity concerns
Institutional Activities
- A library professor leads a task force identifying and communicating key practices for STEM instructors across campus to promote equity and inclusion
- A special education professor develops a guide for campus on strategies to support autistic students enrolled in their courses
Recruitment, mentoring, and/or support of undergraduate and/or graduate students from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in academia
Individual Activities
- An astronomy professor sponsors a McNair Scholar Program student
- A business faculty organizes events or mentors a registered student organization (RSO) to build community for students from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented
Programmatic Activities
- An English professor facilitates a workshop in their department on how to support first-generation college students
- A Linguistics professor establishes alternative strategies to recruit people of color as graduate students in the department
Institutional Activities
- Several faculty write a grant for campus-wide professional development, community building, and financial support for graduate students from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in STEM
- A social work faculty establishes a summer pipeline program for high school students from households with low incomes
Professional development about culturally responsive and inclusive learning environments
Individual Activities
- A classics professor participates in an anti-racist curriculum discussion group
- A media professor includes a module in their course on the history of media coverage of issues that impact LGBTQ+ communities in the Midwest
Programmatic Activities
- An anthropology professor organizes a monthly discussion for faculty across campus on effectively teaching a U.S. Minority Cultures (USMC) course.
- A kinesiology professor leads a session for their colleagues on understanding and implementing Disability Resource and Educational Services (DRES) accommodations and supports in their courses
Institutional Activities
- Several master instructors design a workshop for faculty from across campus to enhance their teaching practices around DEI
- An education faculty serves on a task force to identify how to evaluate instructors’ culturally responsive and inclusive teaching practices
Service Examples
Recruiting, advocating for, and/or supporting students and/or faculty from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented
Individual Activities
- A crop sciences professor serves as a diversity advocate on a staff or faculty search
- A woman electrical engineering professor mentors women graduate students not in her lab around professional development issues
Programmatic Activities
- A philosophy professor chairs a committee to examine departmental policies and practices that may create bias in mentoring graduate students
- An economics faculty leads a workshop for their colleagues on diversity and equity in the promotion and tenure process
Institutional Activities
- A group of biology professors applies for and implements a grant for hiring and supporting STEM faculty from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in STEM
Outside of the instructional context, working with students and/or community members from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in academia
Individual Activities
- A business faculty helps students by sponsoring a newly-formed Latinx business group
- A computer scientist helps a local high school establish a Girls Who Code club
Programmatic Activities
- A fine arts faculty partners with a local community organization to bring the arts into small urban communities
- A vet med professor works with Extension to develop strategies to communicate with hard-to-reach communities on domestic animal care
- A business professor catalyzes expansion of accounting and leadership education for incarcerated individuals by collaborating with an ongoing education justice initiative project
Institutional Activities
- A group of biology professors applies for and implements a grant for hiring and supporting STEM faculty from groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in STEM
Other efforts to foster DEI on campus and/or in one’s field
Individual Activities
- A chemistry professor organizes seminars, workshops, or informal discussions about supporting the growing number of non-traditional students who are enrolling in the undergraduate courses in the department
- An East Asian studies faculty member leads a mentoring group for junior faculty underrepresented in SLCL
Programmatic Activities
- Computer science and education professors serve as guest co-editors for a special issue of a professional journal focused on equity in computer science education in middle and high schools
Institutional Activities
- A political scientist embeds DEI in their professional organization’s mission, programming, and fundraising
- Several faculty develop a program to work with the University financial aid office to analyze data to identify the financial aid packages most effective in ensuring students obtain their degrees in four years
Planning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work
As with all research, teaching, and service activities, faculty members should plan their DEI activities as early in their careers as possible. Such planning can help faculty establish a foundation on which to build increasingly sophisticated and meaningful contributions that are intentional and integrated into their research, teaching, and/or service endeavors. In making these plans, it is useful to consider the potential impact and beneficiaries of the work, as well as the rationale underpinning the activities. Regularly discussing plans with the Unit Executive Officer (e.g., Head or Chair), a mentor, or colleagues with experience in DEI work can yield useful feedback on plans and progress.
Candidate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Given the significance of DEI to the success of the University, it is important when making promotion and tenure decisions to understand how faculty have contributed to the DEI mission—just as it is important to understand how they have contributed to the University’s research, teaching, and service missions. The DEI statement provides a context for faculty to share information about how their activities contribute to the goals of the University.
A candidate for promotion and tenure may approach the statement in a variety of ways, depending on the form of their DEI work. However, there are some defining features of strong DEI statements.
- A strong statement will include a brief guiding framework with a rationale for the faculty’s DEI work and the beneficiaries of such work.
- The bulk of the statement will describe the candidate’s DEI activities and their impact. If the candidate has already provided such a description in their other personal statements, they may direct the reader to these statements.
- A useful way for a statement to end is with clear and detailed plans for future DEI efforts, with attention to the potential benefits of those efforts.
The DEI statement is not a place for the candidate to discuss personal aspects of their identity unless the candidate believes it is important to (1) explain their motivation or approach or (2) contextualize their DEI work.
Candidates should be sensitive about the use of language that perpetuate prejudices and words that apply external value judgments that minimize the experiences, strengths, and contributions of individuals and/or groups historically marginalized and/or underrepresented in academia. It is important that candidates avoid statements that overgeneralize or make sweeping claims about a group of people.
There are a number of helpful guides for writing effective DEI statements. A particularly useful resource, with links to other resources as well, may be found at the University of Texas at Austin Faculty Innovation Center.
Evaluation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Contributions
As Provost Communication 9 states, “Promotion and tenure decisions involve a holistic evaluation of candidates’ past performance along with the likelihood of their continued excellence. . . For most faculty, the primary basis for promotion and tenure will be the quality of research and teaching, with consideration also being given to service, as well as public engagement, and diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.”
In reviewing a faculty member’s record, members of the promotion committee must recognize that the nature and centrality of DEI activities will vary across faculty members. DEI efforts need not be a central part of every faculty member’s activities to merit promotion.
DEI activities may also differ with respect to the domain of the activity (e.g., research, teaching, and/or service), the beneficiaries of the activities (e.g., women, people of color, and/or residents of developing nations), and so on. Promotion and tenure committee members must be open to a variety of activities and approaches to enhancing DEI. Evaluation of the contribution should focus on whether the candidate makes a compelling rationale for their activities that is consistent with the University’s mission and shared vision.
Metrics to assess the impact of DEI activities can be valuable in the evaluation of candidates’ contributions; however, it is important to note that it may take significant time for many DEI activities to lead to progress. Unless appropriate metrics are available, the evaluation process should give attention to the candidate’ investment and engagement in DEI activities.