06-12-2024
Over the last decade, many higher-ed institutions have required diversity statements in their hiring processes. Often, colleges review these statements early in their hiring processes. For supporters, the statements offered an opportunity to provide an inclusive environment for diverse student populations.
Harvard's largest undergraduate division announced it would no longer require a diversity statement for hiring. Instead, finalists for teaching positions must describe their "efforts to strengthen academic communities" and how they foster learning environments where students feel encouraged to ask questions and share ideas. Harvard's president attributed the changes to faculty feedback perceiving diversity statements as "too narrow in the information they attempted to gather."
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) made a similar decision on diversity statements last month. In its announcement, MIT said its university could “build an inclusive environment in many ways, but compelled statements impinge on freedom of expression, and they don’t work.” Some states, including Florida and Texas, have imposed bans on diversity statements for their universities. A California lawsuit is challenging the University of California's use of diversity statements in hiring, arguing it is a "political litmus test."
Paulette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, told The New York Times that diversity statements offer limited value. She notes conservatives have misrepresented diversity statements to disparage all diversity programs. Russell states the best way to create a diverse applicant pool is to identify candidates from different backgrounds in the recruiting process. That search process is the key to hiring diverse employees.