After the 2020 racial justice movements, many colleges issued antiracist statements advocating equality and respect. Were those statements politically correct lip service, or have colleges made real efforts to become more diverse? Members of a national association for college diversity officers think there has been progress, but they fear that momentum is slowing -- partly because administrators have faced myriad challenges, especially during the chaos of the pandemic.
The Chronicle'sDiverse Leadership for a New Era report will examine whether colleges are meeting goals they set following the movements; best practices regarding mentorship; personnel pipeline issues; inherent-bias training; and what lessons might be learned from colleges that have large numbers of minority administrators, such as HBCUs and some two-year colleges. We’ll also look at the role of trustees in diversity efforts, along with equity audits, benchmarking, and other tools colleges are using.