Engaging Faculty In Campus Transformation: The Diversity Fellows Program

The Diversity Fellows Program (DFP), was an initiative created within the Division for Diversity and Inclusion (DDI) in response to imperatives for campus diversity leadership. It brought forward a new paradigm for a Predominantly White Institution in the Midwestern United States, Bistro University (pseudonym), as well as expansions in University-community and statewide relations. The DFP employed a multi-faceted approach to climate transformation and was a joint development with the Office of the Provost that utilized full, tenured, underrepresented, and women faculty to lead initiatives that engaged faculty in research relationships with students, STEM communities, mentoring, and unit accountability for hiring and retention. The result was creation of several best-practice initiatives, which showcased unsung and/or underutilized student and faculty research as catalysts for recruitment, retention, and promotion, and improved unit accountability for diversification and campus/community relations. The DFP ultimately represented a multi-point approach to climate transformation rooted in relationship building, measurable accountability, and partnership development. This chapter will expound on the creation and impact the DFP had on Bistro University (BU)’s diversity agenda and its public affairs mission. It will also illuminate successes as well as struggles to be expected while setting standards for excellence in academic diversity innovation. Finally, this chapter challenges senior administrators and academics to increase support and reward innovation associated with cultural competence training, multicultural engagement and best practices for diversity administration. Keywords: campus transformation, diversity initiatives, diversity, faculty engagement