Dive Brief:
- Research indicates that academic institutions haven't made much progress on diversity despite a trend of hiring chief diversity officers, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
- The bureau tracked 15 years’ worth of data from chief diversity officers with federal faculty and administrator hiring data by race and ethnicity from 2001 to 2016. NBER researchers said they were "unable to find significant evidence" that an executive-level chief diversity officer had any impact on changing "preexisting trends of increasing faculty and administrator diversity."
- The paper cites other examples of responsibilities held by chief diversity officers, including working to reduce attrition and promote a positive environment, but the organization did not conclude that the presence of a chief diversity officer increased faculty diversity. The study traced hiring practices at research and master’s degree-granting institutions with more than 4,000 students.
Dive Insight:
Although research suggests a diverse workplace can boost productivity and innovation, diversity efforts in many sectors have stalled. The talent gap may be halting progress, but experts say that too many employers are implementing diversity initiatives with accompanying inclusion strategies. After all, talent acquisition efforts can be futile if retention isn't considered as well.
As employers begin to consider how to create an inclusive environment, those in academia are facing some specific problems. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently issued a report calling for a systematic change in addressing sexual harassment in academia. Shifts may be necessary to not only boost the results of diversity officers, but also create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that drives candidates to educational institutions.