Presentation
All on the Same Page? Contrasting Faculty and Staff Perceptions of University Commitment to Diversity
Paper presented at the 2009 Association for Institutional Research Annual Forum, Atlanta, GA, June 2, 2009.
(2009)
Abstract
The overarching research questions for this study are: (1) Are the contributors to faculty and staff perception of commitment to diversity different?; and (2) Do factors at different organizational levels influence faculty and staff differently? The findings emerging from this preliminary comparison of faculty and staff perception of university commitment to diversity reveal that while the contributors to faculty and staff perception are similar there are still a number of questions left to be explored. Additional investigation of the factors related to staff perception of university commitment is needed. The explication and operationalization of additional work factors for staff may contribute to the overall understanding of the important distinctions among staff and between faculty and staff. Also, given the importance of department commitment to diversity, an understanding of the kinds of things that lead a department to commitment is important. Finally, while there are still a number of areas in need of investigation, even this preliminary analysis reveals findings that are important for administrators as well as others who are interested in moving diversity initiatives toward the point of normative institutionalization. A clear, strong message about the importance of diversity is important for both faculty and staff. While this may seem like common sense, it bears repeating. It is not enough to engage in activity, it is important to communicate a clear consistent vision and to prioritize activities related to diversity. Additionally, departments must be enlisted in diversity efforts. While this has consistently been shown for faculty, the importance of the department to staff has not been fully discussed. A broader discussion of diversity efforts including attention to staff will move universities further toward the ideal of creating inclusive work and learning environments. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)
Disciplines
Publication Date
2009
Comments
Association for Institutional Research (NJ1), Paper presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research (49th, Atlanta, GA, May 30-Jun 3, 2009)
Citation Information
Carpenter, R. L. (2009). All on the Same Page? Contrasting Faculty and Staff Perceptions of University Commitment to Diversity. Association for Institutional Research (NJ1).