Where do we go with DEI?

I recently attended the USC CERPP conference where the topic of DEI was meaningfully discussed.

So, this month’s topic will touch a political third rail, but my hope is to provide some thought on how to evolve our conversations on DEI in a more charged environment.  Given the national discourse on dismantling DEI, how can we, for those enrollment or higher education professionals who care about the topic, evolve our conversations and work in continuing to advance the importance of diversity, in all its forms, on our campuses?

To me, the conversation intersects with broader conversations on institutional sustainability.  Given the demographic decline of the traditional college going age population, and the shift towards a more ethnically diverse population, an opportunity exists to enroll more ethnically diverse students as a measure of overall institutional sustainability.  In addition, knowing on average, a more ethnically diverse population is also a more socioeconomically diverse population, enrolling more socioeconomically diverse students can also lead to a more diverse student population.

Working to enroll a greater number of first-generation college students while also partnering with Community Based Organizations are additional considerations.  To me, the above points simply serve as opportunities to advance student diversity just as a component of overall sustainability. 

Now of course, enrolling a more socioeconomically diverse student body also involves ensuring that financial aid practices are in place that allow for students from different socioeconomic backgrounds to enroll and persist but this links to institutional sustainability from an enrollment perspective.   

Tied to this, leaning into the institutional mission also serves as an opportunity.  I would bet on average, most institutional missions or charters say something about working to ensure successful student outcomes for all students – or for a diverse population of students.  So, working to achieve the institutional mission assists in advancing the notion of enrolling and retaining a diverse population of students.

Also, given the demographic decline, ensuring admission practices are test optional, helps enroll a more diverse student population both ethnically and socioeconomically.  Having written on this topic before, given research that shows standardized tests bias against students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, test optional admission naturally attracts qualified students who may not, on one test of one day of their lives, score in the higher percentiles on standardized tests; but have the ability to thrive in college.     

Some of working to address DEI, in a non-DEI friendly landscape, also involves the admission assessment of high school curriculum.  It involves contextualizing what high schools offer or do not offer so students who attend high schools without AP, IB, or honors curriculums are not penalized within the admission process.  To quote a colleague, who I will not name to ensure confidentiality, “you can contextualize meritocracy” based on the courses available in their high school. 

Ensuring an inclusive institutional culture involves looking internally as to how enrolling students are onboarded from a placement perspective.  This involves offering summer bridge, orientation, or transition programs that assist in personal and/or academic skill improvement that meets students where they are.  For example, research shows that students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds experienced a greater math learning loss during the COVID pandemic.  As such, an appropriate practice would involve adapting math placement assessments as opposed to blaming students for their lower placement scores.  It also involves institutional culture integration from admission and beyond that helps onboard and transition students in a holistic manner.  By this, I mean and am pointing to advising structures both academically and beyond. 

One other point I will make involves working to enroll students who attend two-year institutions.  To accomplish this, four-year institutions must be committed to funding students via financial aid while also ensuring transfer friendly credit equivalencies. 

It also goes without saying, but I will say it here for the record, institutional sustainability also involves ensuring a focus on student success as enrolling students who do not persist defeats the purpose of enrolling students in the first place.   

Last, some of our work involves being courageous.  Being willing to talk about and take new or different approaches than in the past.  One of my mentors (shout out to Jim Tressel) used to say, “if it’s not broke, break it.”  Being open-minded to creative or what may appear as non-traditional approaches are essential to ensure institutional sustainability in a charged DEI landscape.