17 Dec Why College Campuses are Pivotal for Corporate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg aside, the vast majority of America’s top CEO’s have a bachelor’s degree. They likely have a graduate degree as well.  Where they went to college and what they studied varies. But nearly all launched their path to the executive suite on a college campus.

That’s why the approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) on college campuses is critical. If exclusion is normalized on-campus that can influence potential future CEO’s and their approach to DEI in the companies they lead. “Diversity and inclusion on campus has to be more than superficial. Inclusive practices have to come from educators and staff across the organization,” says Elmer Dixon, President of Executive Diversity Services, Inc.

This is still more important than ever, even with research that documents that Millennials have grown up in a world where they can regularly explore people who are different from themselves, because of increased mobility and the internet. “That’s the environment that has shaped their values. But their experiences going into elite universities may nullify that,” says Dixon. “When universities stress the importance of cultural competence and create a culture of inclusion on campus they are setting up leaders of the future. This directly impacts corporate America,” he adds.

A critical component of this is not just focusing on visible diversity, such as racial or ethnic background, but on diversity of thought processes and ideas.

How are Universities addressing DEI on campus?

For many years race-based affirmative action programs were a tool to recruit and build a more diverse student body. However, the practice has faced legal challenges over the years, prompting some states to ban it. More recently, the college admissions bribery scandal has opened questions about bias and inequity throughout the college application process, including legacy acceptance. That has prompted a call for a better merit-based selection process that would also impact Affirmative Action.

At the same time, many have raised issues about implicit bias in the standardized college entrance tests such as the SAT and ACT. Furthermore, some colleges that succeeded in growing diversity of students on campus then faced challenges with inclusion. Harvard University experienced that issue front and center in 2014 with the “I Too Am Harvard” photography project that captured everything from micro-aggressions to blatant racism experienced by students of color at Harvard.

Diversity on College Campuses: What’s a College to Do?

Any successful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, whether it be for a corporation or educational environment, must start at the top. “Leadership sets the stage for the entire organization,” says Dixon. And the strategy must consider both internal operations and hiring as well as external communications and marketing. “A successful program will link cultural diversity to the organization’s goals, customers, suppliers and workforce. It’s critical to integrate workplace diversity with other organizational development so it is part of the entire context, as opposed to an ancillary or standalone program,” says Dixon

Human Rights, Freedom of Speech and Cultural Rights

College campuses are known to be hotbeds of ideas. So where is the line between professors sharing different political ideologies and student protests, and creating a hostile environment?  “A good DEI program teaches how to embrace different perspectives. It’s not about stifling ideas. It’s about separating the idea from the person and leaning how to listen and see another’s perspective,” says Dixon. “Although it is never okay to harm another person or promote hate behind the guise of freedom of speech,” he affirms.

College campuses are the perfect place to model the idea of accepting each other in our disagreements.

The Pivotal Power of College Campuses

 College campuses did not necessarily create the institutional imbalances they are in a position to help solve. Many upper income, suburban students have the advantage of better grade schools. That traces back to the Federal Housing Administration the Veterans Administrations building of the suburbs to ease the post WWII housing shortage, in a program that excluded people of color.

While redlining—the practice of denying mortgages or offering worse rates to customers in certain neighborhoods based on their race or ethnicity– was outlawed in 1968 with the passage of the Fair Housing Act, its direct impact continues to be felt today. Where you live determines the quality of your pre-college education.

Colleges are tasked with finding a level playing field for equitable application and acceptance.  Then they must create an environment that acknowledges the value of a diverse student body. And they can instill values of inclusion that will guide the next generation of leaders.

Everyone plays a role for success

From leadership to faculty to staff and students, everyone on a college campus can be part of a solid and effective Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program. An assessment and leadership training can set the tone. Faculty can learn how to foster and include different ideas and inclusion in the classroom. Students can also enjoy training and activities that encourage discussions of different ideas.

And colleges can start even before students think of applying, with community and  high school connections and summer programs.

Many institutions are aware of the impact and implications that hate and bias can have on a college campus. They want to get ahead of the curve. Universities are at the forefront as they educate the next generation of executives and set the tone for the future.

Resources

Moody, Josh, Where the Top Fortune 500 CEOs Attended College, US News & World Report, usnews.com, June 11, 2019.

Vingiano, Ali, 63 Black Harvard Students Share Their Experiences In A Powerful Photo Project, BuzzFeedNews.com, March 3, 2014

Williams, Terri. America’s Top CEOs and Their College Degrees. Investopedia.com, April 29, 2019.