Chief Diversity Office and the Diversity & Equity Unit Annual Diversity Workforce Recruitment Plan 2012

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1 Chief Diversity Office and the Diversity & Equity Unit Annual Diversity Workforce Recruitment Plan 2012 Introduction The Vision of the University of Vermont is to be among the nation s premier small research universities, preeminent in our comprehensive commitment to liberal education, environment, health, and public service. The Mission of the University of Vermont is to create, evaluate, share, and apply knowledge and to prepare students to be accountable leaders who will bring to their work dedication to the global community, a grasp of complexity, effective problem-solving and communication skills, and an enduring commitment to learning and ethical conduct. To realize our vision to be among the nation s premier small research universities, we must build a diverse and globally aware university community sustained by an inclusive, supportive, and just campus climate. The importance of diversity to our University is very well expressed in the Board of Trustees Statement, Why Diversity Matters, which reads in part: The University of Vermont holds that diversity and academic excellence are inseparable. Our mission as a public research university is to educate students and to create and disseminate knowledge. Consequently, we must strive to educate our students about the world that they live in and help them acquire the information and skills they need for successful and productive lives. It is not possible to accomplish this without the strong presence of three critical things: a safe and respectful climate, diversity among the university community of faculty, staff and students and a curriculum that teaches critical thinking and engages learners of different multicultural perspectives across our various programs and disciplines. The University seeks to increase student, faculty, and staff diversity. In working to hire faculty and staff who will help diversify our university community, we better support our growing diverse student body with role models and mentors. It is understood that establishing a sustainable process for increasing diversity is itself an ongoing process. We have made great strides in some units and colleges and are confident that the best practices being utilized to make gains can become more firmly entrenched in our campus-wide recruiting practices. Why is Diversity Important? The University s vision can only be achieved if our campus is a diverse and globally aware community. Since 2004, the University has recognized diversity as an important strategic area of focus. The effort to diversify the campus has been upheld and promoted by the President and Provost. We believe that the responsibility to advance diversity and to create and maintain an inclusive, supportive, and just community at the University of Vermont (UVM) must be a shared effort. To enhance the probability of success, goals need to be tied to the University s vision for diversity. All players must understand how their personal contributions to this diversity goal will influence the success of the institution, which will help counter systemic obstacles and resistance to change. Institutions that diversify their workforce will have a distinct competitive advantage. They will have greater adaptability and flexibility in a rapidly changing marketplace, and the ability to attract and retain the best talent. Another advantage of having a diverse workforce is being able to 1

2 utilize its knowledge when it comes to relating to different faculty and staff groups, thereby, creating a positive university reputation for commitment to inclusiveness. Diversity and Recruitment Striving for a diverse workforce is a prominent issue in higher education. UVM defines diversity broadly. Diversity can refer to racial diversity, gender, age, disabilities, sexual orientation and gender expression, etc. However, there can be risk in defining diversity so broadly that it does not serve the institution s goals or respect the intent of affirmative action. The Chief Diversity Office (CDO) and the Diversity and Equity Unit (D&E Unit) are committed to working with the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (AA/EO), Human Resource Services (HRS), and hiring officials to interconnect all of these available resources to reach our institutional goals. In addition to our recruitment and retention efforts on diversity, the D&E Unit (specifically, the AAEO Office) closely monitors and enforces federal and state laws and University policies prohibiting all forms of discrimination. In an effort to be proactive, progressive, and responsible, the President and Provost, in partnership with the Chief Diversity Officer, have asked for annual diversity recruitment plans from each of the university s academic and administrative units. The CDO s own recruitment efforts within the D&E Unit are of critical importance and significance in light of the important role the unit serves with respect to University recruitment goals. Our plan includes the following: 1. A description of the steps that our unit s leadership will take to implement the plan; 2. An update of the information submitted in the prior plan; 3. The current composition of our unit s workforce relative to diversity; 4. A description of the average annual hiring activity by category of employee to provide a sense of the number of opportunities our unit had to increase diversity this year; 5. A description of the specific strategies that have led to success in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce in our unit; 6. A list of the actions that our unit took to create a climate and culture supporting the retention of a diverse workforce; 7. The accountability and progress benchmarks that our unit established to achieve diversity goals; and 8. A discussion of the challenges and opportunities that our unit identified relative to diversification, and proposed strategies to address both. Leadership Leadership is a key component to the success of any transformative and sustainable change aimed at diversifying the workforce. Transformation is achieved when leaders model and insist on behavior that drives diversity commitment to the campus community through their direction and action. To that end, the Chief Diversity Officer has a variety of functions and responsibilities University-wide, that include the development of partnerships to help the institution move forward in the support of recruitment efforts to promote a more diverse staff, faculty, and student body. The CDO works with colleges and units to advance and promote diversity on the University of Vermont campus. In order for the University to meet its serious goals around creating a more diverse climate, the CDO engages to demonstrate and implement best practices related to the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff from underrepresented populations. 2

3 Sustainable diversity workforce recruitment must take place in the context of long-term planning that includes all aspects of the institution. Accountability and progress are key components to the tracking and success of the transformation of the University workforce. As part of the cycle of accountability, the CDO will continue to examine and refine the accountability data, practices, and evaluation measures already in place, such as the comprehensive review processes. The CDO will utilize the Affirmative Action Plan to track federal goals and to monitor recruitment efforts. Any target of opportunity requests within the CDO area requires prior approval from the CDO before submitting to the AA/EO Office. In addition, the AA/EO office will provide recruitment training to all individuals responsible for recruiting and hiring. The D&E Unit will continue to be engaged, active, and accountable in its recruiting activities. Current Workforce Composition Diversity & Equity Unit Title Gender Race Chief Diversity Officer Chief Diversity Officer Female Black Chief Diversity Office Administrative Professional Female White Chief Diversity Office Office Program Support Sr. Female White Chief Diversity Office Outreach Professional Male Native American AA/EO Director Male White AA/EO Administrative Professional Female Native American AA/EO Administrative Professional Female White AA/EO Office Program Support Female White ALANA Student Ctr. Director Female Black ALANA Student Ctr. Student Services Professional Female Asian ALANA Student Ctr. Student Services Professional Male Black ALANA Student Ctr. Student Services Professional Female Black ALANA Student Ctr. Student Services Professional Male Hispanic ALANA Student Ctr. Office Program Support Female Hispanic Center for Cultural Pluralism Director Male Black Center for Cultural Pluralism Office Program Support Female Asian LGBTQA Center Director Female White LGBTQA Center Office Program Support Male White LGBTQA Center Student Services Professional Male Hispanic Women s Center Director Female White Women s Center Student Services Professional Female Black Women s Center Student Services Professional Female White Women s Center Student Services Professional Female White Women s Center Office Program Support Female White 3

4 Annual Recruitment Activity of Diversity & Equity Unit (FY 10-12) Titles FY 10/11 FY 11/12 M F Black White Native Asian Hispanic Administrative Professional Chief Diversity Officer Director Office Program Support Gen Office Program Support Sr 1 1 Outreach Professional Student Srv Professional Totals Recruitment Activity FY 11/12 During the past twelve months, the Diversity & Equity Unit Offices have participated in four recruitments. Per voluntary disclosure, the recruitments netted an Asian female; a White female; an Asian male and a White male. The Diversity & Equity Unit is currently conducting searches for a Student Services Professional in the ALANA Student Center and an Office Program Support for the LGBTQA Center. Both recruitments are opportunities to further diversify the CDO area and affirmative searches are being conducted. The CDO has to approve all searches, and may cancel or stop searches if for any reason she is not satisfied with the process and/or outcome. Once approval has been granted, the process for recruitment is as follows: Recruiting Classified Staff Staff positions are primarily recruited from a local job market within the state of Vermont. While recruiting locally makes diversification more challenging, we will continue to conduct outreach to capitalize on Burlington and the University s changing demographics to build pools that are as diverse as possible. Ads are posted on the Human Resource Services (HRS) Job Site and disseminate to the Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) Resource List, as well as networking and listservs. All ads use approved commitment to diversity language. As an institution, we also benefit from the HRS Diversity Initiatives efforts that supply consistent guidance on process, approved inclusive language for position and recruitment documents, and additional national and local diversity resources for networking. D&E Unit recruitments all follow AA/EO and HRS guidelines. Hiring officials/committees must consult with AAEO for advice, hiring materials, and AAP plan information to better perform their search responsibilities. A search committee is optional but highly encouraged. Recruiting Professionals Professional positions are varied which informs the process. Professional positions are primarily recruited from a local and/or regional area, although certain positions may warrant national outreach. Again, while recruiting locally presents a challenge, we will continue to capitalize on changing local and campus demographics to diversify pools. Ads are posted on the Human Resource Services Job Site and disseminated to the AA/EO Resource List as well as networking and listservs. All ads use approved commitment to diversity language. As with classified staff hires, we will continue to work closely with HRS. These recruitments usually have a search 4

5 committee that is formally charged and follows all AA/EO and HRS guidelines. Hiring officials must consult with AAEO for advice, hiring materials, and AAP plan information to better perform their search responsibilities. Recruiting Executives Executive Positions are primarily recruited through a national search. Ads are posted on the Human Resource Services Job Site and disseminated to the AA/EO Resource List. All ads will use approved commitment to diversity language. As with classified staff and professional hires, we will continue to work closely with HRS. These recruitments have search committees that are formally charged and follow all AA/EO and HRS guidelines, and may receive assistance from a search firm. In addition, Executive searches are required to network extensively to assure that the candidate pools are robust with diverse candidates E-lists, conferences, alma maters, job boards, direct contact, caucuses, professional publications, higher education associations, etc. Hiring officials must consult with AAEO for advice, hiring materials, and AAP plan information to better perform their search responsibilities. Diversity Recruitment Strategies The Chief Diversity Office deploys the standard AA/EO and HRS required recruitment processes for all searches, but in order to cast the widest net to diversify applicant pools and yield success the following additional affirmative actions are and will be taken: 1. Drafting position descriptions to include multicultural language and responsibilities to emphasize the importance and value of diversity to the University; 2. Ensuring that position descriptions reflect needed qualifications and are drafted as broadly as possible to attract large and diverse pools; 3. Creating diverse search committees where possible, and ensure committee chairs/members are charged with AA/EO responsibilities and are held accountable; 4. Requiring recruitment and retention professional development for all the search committee members and all individuals reporting to the CDO who have direct responsibility for recruitment. Diversity Recruitment Challenges Recruiting in a predominantly white state for a predominantly homogeneous university has its challenges. The University has had to work especially hard to attract a more diverse applicant pool for all its positions. Some of the challenges experienced have been: 1. Limited hiring opportunities; 2. Less racial and ethnic diversity with local recruitments; 3. Lack of entities serving diverse communities that could provide a pipeline of candidates and an opportunity for partnership; 4. Lack of formal administrative mentoring programs to support the growth and retention of traditionally marginalized groups. It is important that our diversity and multicultural values are infused in the daily work of the Chief Diversity Office, as well as the broader University community. Recruiting and hiring affirmatively is a crucial process toward furthering the important goal of diversifying our campus community. We will annually assess and benchmark our area s progress and work for continuous improvement. We believe that clear communication, leadership, accountability, and creativity will serve us well as we move forward with our diversity recruitment plans for our Offices. 5

6 Retention Achieving our University diversity goals requires an excellent campus climate. An environment that supports diversity and fosters respect improves our ability to retain diverse talent. The environment that we bring recruited individuals into must be welcoming and supportive. Professional development can provide the cultural awareness and competence necessary to establish an institutional multicultural prospective that will aid our campus in its recruitment and retention efforts. To ensure success, we must hold the entire campus community accountable for monitoring progress in transparent and accessible ways, such as: Fostering an infrastructure that supports appropriate programming and activities to develop cultural awareness and multicultural perspective; Implementing appropriate professional development programs that focus on diversity, multiculturalism, competency and non-discrimination practices across campus. We encourage all D&E Unit members to attend at least one diversity professional development opportunity annually; Building and expanding local diverse networks/partners with similar diversity objectives to assist in creating an environment of inclusiveness; Hosting open campus forums and educational opportunities to provide ongoing dialogue and learning; Providing training during orientation programs that includes updated diversity content; Evaluating and refining our strategies annually. Attachments AA/EO Diversity Local and National Resource List HRS Diversity Initiatives AA/EO Diversity Local and National Resources List Abenaki Self Help Association Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and Disability Related Burlington Women s Council COTS - Committee on Temporary Shelter6 Cyprian Learning Center Deaf Services Program (State of VT) Hector Cobeo/Hermanos Productions Howard Center for Community Service Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Ally (LGBTQA) Services, UVM Outright Vermont People s Voice ReSOURCE (formerly ReCycle North) The Center for Cultural Pluralism, UVM The Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Ctr TRiO Programs, Academic Support Programs, UVM Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually ALANA Student Center (UVM) Burlington Business & Professional Women Champlain Vocational Services Cyberskills VT Deaf Vermont Listserv (ACCESS, UVM) Gedakina, Inc. Horizon Hair Salon Imani Youth & Family Center Office of Affirmative Action/Diversity & Equity Unit, UVM Peace & Justice Center Plattsburgh State University, Career Development Office New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church The Center on Disability & Community Inclusion, UVM Transition II, Inc. Vermont Associates Inc. Vermont Association of Business Industry & 6

7 Impaired (VABVI) Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL) Vermont Department of Labor (Burlington) Vermont Vocational Rehabilitation Veteran s Employment & Training Services Women s Center, UVM Women Helping Battered Women EmployDIVERSITY Affirmative Action Register WorkplaceDiversity.com IMDiversity American Association for Affirmative Action DiversitySearch The Black Collegian The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education SALUDOS.com Hispanic Outlook The Tribal Employment Newsletter Winds of Change ProGayJobs Career-Intelligence.com for women Vermont Woman Project HIRED Abilities JobEnable.com MilitaryHire Rehabilitation (VABIR) Vermont Department of Labor (Montpelier) Vermont Refugee Resettlement Vermont Works for Women Vietnam Era Veterans' Office Women of Color Alliance YWCA-Camp Hochelaga Diverse Issues in Higher Education UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. HireDiversity Diversity, Inc. Diversity.com New England Higher Education Recruiting Consortium (NE-HERC) Historically Black Colleges & Universities LatPro Hispanic Link Latinos in HigherEd Indian Country Today Goldsea: Asian American Super Site Women in Higher Education Career Women Diversity World DisabilityInfo Hiredeaf.com HireVeterans HireVetsFirst Human Resources Services Diversity Initiatives Chronicle of Higher Education advertisement in yearly October diversity supplement (cost shared by Provost's Office and HRS); New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium - nightly feed of all jobs to HERC site (yearly contract cost shared by Provost's Office, AA and HRS): Vermont Department of Labor - Bi-monthly visits to meet with applicants and VDOL management: Vermont Department of Labor networking groups - Meet applicants and share information on UVM VT JobExpo - Held twice a year, the VT JobExpo is the largest career fair in the state; Veteran's Job Fair - Coordinated by the Vermont Dept. of Labor, this yearly job fair is focused on veterans but open to the public; Community organizations - outreach to multiple organizations including VT Refugee Resettlement Center; Africans Living in VT.; Burlington Multicultural Center; Recycle North; Vermont Association for Business, Industry & Rehabilitation (VABIR); Vermont Works for Women, etc...; 7

8 Burlington Free Press "Employer Spotlight" yearly advertisement (cost of ad included in yearly BFP contract); Applicant meetings through referrals and upon request; Development and maintenance of multiple recruiting resources including national and local diversity advertising options and contacts: (click on Manager's Corner); Participation and outreach via multiple conferences, meetings and contacts through professional organizations...vt Human Resource Association, College & University Professional Association, Society for Human Resource Management, Chamber of Commerce, etc. Targeted Recruitment Outreach with the D&E Unit The Department of Justice listserv Violence Against Women listserv Project Director listserv Minority Faculty & Staff Recruitment Conference National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Black Professionals at Predominately White Institutions of Higher Ed (JDOTT) listserv Brown University Institute, Portland, OR Galladet University School for International Training Friends of Africans Living in VT NCORE, NAME & Winter Roundtable (bring job postings to conferences) National Consortium of LGBT Higher Education Professionals listserv R.U.1.2 Newsletter Craig s list UVM Higher Ed/Student Affairs Grad Program listserv Social Justice Training Institute (SJTI) ACPA Career Central list for professional college personnel association The Placement Exchange (used by NASPA) 8