One person can make a difference. Raymond Plaza knows that well. As director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Santa Clara University, he’s overseen a number of innovative programs that have helped recruit and retain faculty from underrepresented groups. He and his team have developed methods of reaching broader mixes of potential candidates, which have ultimately resulted in more diverse hiring.
In addition to making the teaching staff more diverse, those efforts have had a strong spillover effect onto the student body. Plaza points out that faculty and staff ‘set the stage’ for students and play an important role as advisors. So it only stands to reason that a diverse, inclusive faculty could be a vital key to building an equally vibrant student body.
All that said, the day-to-day work of putting these ideals into practice can prove challenging. There are often significant hurdles for diversity professionals to overcome in their journey toward a more inclusive campus. Along with his successes at Santa Clara University, Plaza has learned a number of valuable lessons in his prior diversity work at Virginia Tech and Bowling Green State University. He was graciously willing to share some of those insights with HigherEdJobs.
Andrew Hibel, HigherEdJobs: Mr. Plaza, as the director of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Santa Clara University, you work to design strategies for the recruitment and retention of faculty from underrepresented groups. Can you explain some of the strategies or best practices your university utilizes?
Raymond Plaza, director, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Santa Clara University: Here at Santa Clara University, an intentional effort has been made for the past three years to work more closely with the search committees for tenure-stream positions. This has involved being more intentional in sharing institutional data and national availability data pertaining to the respective discipline, addressing ways that search committees can be more transparent, as well as addressing concepts of implicit bias. This has allowed discussions to take place about where a position is being advertised, exploring connections that faculty members may have at other institutions, rubrics used during the search process, etc.
The philosophy is that if we can ensure that our candidate pools are diverse in all facets, we believe that this will help ensure greater diversity among the final candidates. Results from the past two hiring cycles are showing that the effort has been making a difference.
Related to the recruitment effort has been the discussion about the development of additional post-doctoral opportunities.
While there has been a large focus on recruitment, there are also retention efforts. The Office works closely with Faculty Development. One of these initiatives has been the relationship with the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), where SCU faculty are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities that this provides through the SCU institutional membership. Each summer, SCU provides funding to faculty to participate in the NCFDD Summer Bootcamp. We have seen tremendous results with the different programs and opportunities provided through this effort.
Hibel: What challenges have you faced designing or implementing recruitment and retention plans, and how have you overcome these?
Plaza: In terms of recruitment, the biggest challenge has been to understand the best way to reach and find candidates. As recent national campus events have shown us, we are all looking for diverse candidates and there is immense competition in certain fields. Each discipline is different in terms of diversity, and some disciplines already have gender parity but not much racial/ethnic diversity. We are realizing that we need to tailor approaches depending on the discipline.
We get constant emails from organizations and vendors indicating that they have the best source of diverse candidates, but we are finding that candidates don’t indicate these sources when they apply for positions. We are working with search committees in an effort to start earlier to develop networks and relationships.
Another challenge is combating bias and perceptions against candidates that have received degrees from lesser-known institutions and minority-serving institutions.
Hibel: You maintain the university’s diversity dashboard. Please explain the dashboard and the importance of it being transparent to the community.
Plaza: The diversity dashboard is maintained in partnership with Institutional Research and is an opportunity to be more transparent in terms of SCU’s demographic profile among faculty, staff, and students. The dashboard has made this information much more accessible for the university community. Today, the dashboard has been expanded to also include retention and graduation data as well.
Some sections of the dashboard are password protected and provide insight into how SCU is performing in relationship to identified peers.
Hibel: Santa Clara University created the Council on Inclusive Excellence. Will you please explain the purpose of its formation and initiatives surrounding this council?
Plaza: The Council on Inclusive Excellence dates back to 2007 when it was originally known as the Provost Council on Inclusive Excellence. Today, the council meets quarterly during the academic year. It consists of members from throughout the university community and is chaired by the associate provost for diversity and inclusion.
The role of the council is to explore diversity and inclusion issues impacting the community, and to provide a conduit for information. The council also administers the Inclusive Excellence awards given each year to a student, faculty, and staff member.
There is an equivalent Student Council on Inclusive Excellence, which has been revamped during this most recent quarter in an effort to expand additional involvement for students. The student chair serves on the Council of Inclusive Excellence.
Hibel: Diversity and inclusion are clear goals across your university, with part of the strategic plan prompting the university to “recruit and graduate a broadly diverse community of highly talented students.” What role does a diverse faculty community play in this goal?
Plaza: I would say that a faculty and staff that are diverse in all facets are critical to the mission and function of the university today.
Faculty and staff play a unique and vital role in the recruitment of students and in helping to set the stage for these students to be retained, be successful, and to graduate. Faculty not only play a key role in the classroom, but also in their role as advisors, and in providing guidance for research projects and other opportunities. The classroom needs to be a space where the students can be themselves and feel that they belong. The classroom is one component in helping to create a welcoming and supportive campus community.
Staff also play a huge role in helping students navigate the university and in providing support and services.
Hibel: You bring your experience in diversity initiatives and multi-cultural affairs from Bowling Green State University and Virginia Tech. What are some lessons learned regarding addressing issues related to diversity and inclusion from your positions on different campuses?
Plaza: I am grateful for the opportunity that I had at both Virginia Tech and at Bowling Green State University, and the opportunity to work with their respective communities. I learned a lot of valuable lessons from my experiences at both institutions, and this has helped me in my current role.
In terms of lessons, I can share that institutional commitment is critical, especially at the top levels, as well as the need for the development of allies and partners.
I learned that institutional politics can stifle progress on efforts to make a difference, especially when certain groups feel left out or marginalized.
I learned the importance and value of data, as well as the importance of having access to it.
It is critical that connections and relationships are maintained with the students. This work can’t happen in isolation from the students, nor can it happen without the faculty and staff.
I also learned that those of us who work with diversity need to role model the very values of diversity and inclusion that we are trying to promote on our respective campuses.
Hibel: I’m sure it is highly fulfilling to work in this area of academia. What suggestions or advice do you have for other professionals seeking a role inside a diversity and inclusion office?
Plaza: I have learned a lot in my experience working with diversity and inclusion. For those interested in working in the diversity area, my advice would be to be prepared to be open in learning new concepts and ideas. Be confident in your abilities to help make a difference in this area. Be prepared that the work will be hard but it will be rewarding. Be prepared to understand your own biases and perspectives. Be prepared to work with colleagues and others that don’t share your same ideals or motivations for the role.
I would encourage you to seek professional networks for support and professional development. For example, I serve as Chair of the Latin@/x Network within ACPA. The LN Familia has provided a space for me to connect with my fellow Latin@/x colleagues. Through LN, we have been able to work more closely with my peers in the Coalition for Multicultural Affairs in ACPA.
Hibel: What drives you to continue to be engaged in the area of diversity and inclusion?
Plaza: I am driven by my desire in making a difference and in helping others. This personifies my work ethic and motivation in the things that I am passionate about.