Diversity Digest: charting progress

Diversity Digest: Charting CU's progress five years after diversity statement's release

The University Diversity Council was created in 2001 to continue the mission of building a Cornell community where people's attitudes and actions promote mutual respect and civility. Nicola Kountoupes/University Photography

By Lynette Chappell-Williams and Robert L. Harris Jr.

In 1999, former Dean of Faculty Robert Cooke convened members of the Cornell community to begin a dialogue on how to make Cornell more welcoming for individuals of diverse backgrounds. In addition, a diversity education and training session was convened by Mary George Opperman, vice president of human resources, and LeNorman Strong, assistant vice president of student academic services, in July 1999 that included students, staff and faculty. As a result of what was learned from the meetings, Cooke convened the Campus Climate Committee, whose mission was to enable members of the Cornell community to participate personally in a campuswide effort to affirm the value and importance of diversity. The Campus Climate Committee subsequently developed an institutional statement, "Open Doors, Open Hearts and Open Minds: Cornell's Statement on Diversity and Inclusiveness," that was shared with the university community in January 2000. Last month marked the five-year anniversary of the university's statement on diversity and inclusiveness, as evidenced below.

Since the time that the statement was announced, the university has made great progress in addressing diversity and inclusiveness:

Two offices were developed to lead the university's efforts in addressing diversity and inclusiveness: the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality, established in January 2000, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development, established in February 2000.

Shortly after announcing the statement, a competition was launched to develop a logo for the statement. The selected logo was developed by Andres Arroyo, administrative assistant in the Family Life Development Center, College of Human Ecology.

To assist in addressing actions that affected the university's commitment to diversity and inclusiveness, the Bias Response Program was implemented in November 2000.

In December 2000, Administration/Facilities and Finance and the Office of Human Resources began convening the Skilled Trades Diversity Consortium, to have annual dialogues on the progress of increasing minorities and women represented within the skilled trades at Cornell and in the community.

To carry on the work of the Campus Climate Committee, in November 2001, Provost Biddy Martin appointed a 17-member University Diversity Council whose mission is to help build a Cornell community where the attitudes and actions of people promote mutual respect and civility, so that all can fully participate in the education, employment and social opportunities of the university.

In 2001 the university established a staff recruiter position with responsibility for diversity recruiting that was filled in September 2003.

In May 2002, the university implemented a disability accommodation process for faculty, academic staff, and non-academic staff, to further support the employment of individuals with disabilities.

To assist colleges and administrative units with addressing diversity and inclusiveness, guidelines were developed to assist in drafting comprehensive diversity plans. Since that time, 11 colleges and administrative units have begun work on creating diversity initiatives.

In 2002, the vice provost for undergraduate education, in conjunction with the Dean of Students Office and the Cornell Interactive Theatre Ensemble, launched the One Vision, Many Voices program -- a diversity orientation program for new and transfer students.

In April 2002, the staff performance dialogue tool that is used to evaluate the performance of all staff was revised to include a dimension on inclusiveness.

Several administrative departments and colleges created positions with responsibility for diversity within their units, such as: the College of Engineering, which established an associate dean of diversity and a director of the Engineering Diversity Program; Student and Academic Services/Campus Life and Community Development; Johnson Graduate Business School; and Planning, Design and Construction within Administration, Facilities and Finance.

In October 2002, the University Diversity Council began this "Diversity Digest" column in the Cornell Chronicle and the "Diversity Council Newsletter" to provide updates on the university initiatives related to diversity and inclusiveness.

The Safe Place Program was implemented in March 2003 to create an environment that is more inclusive and supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) members, to affirm LGBTQ identities, allow for open discussion and make resources more available to the campus community.

The university is committed to continuing its progress in addressing diversity and inclusiveness. As President Jeffrey Lehman stated in his October 2004 address to the university:

"Once at Cornell, all members of our community should feel welcomed as equal members. And no matter what their personal background might be, they should also be pressed to take advantage of all aspects of our community's diversity, encouraged to reach out across boundaries to meet one another, challenged to see the world through the eyes of others."

The Diversity Digest is one of the services provided by the university's Diversity Council. For information about the council, this column, the council's newsletter or about diversity initiatives at Cornell, contact co-chairs Robert L. Harris Jr., vice provost for diversity and faculty development, at 255-5358 or rlh10@cornell.edu, or Lynette Chappell-Williams, director of the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality, at 255-3976 or lc75@cornell.edu.

February 10, 2005