DEI Strategic Plan for Faculty and Staff
In the fall of 2021, the Dean’s Office convened a DEI Strategic Plan Committee to create a strategy for strengthening and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion among faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences. Over a 15-month period the committee, led by Senior Associate Dean Karla Slocum, collected and reviewed data; engaged in visioning the College’s goals, values, and opportunities related to DEI; and devised a set of specific activities to move the needle on climate and a culture of inclusivity and equity. The result is the January 2023 launch of our novel DEI Strategic Plan, Action Steps for Equity.
Action Steps for Equity comprises four priorities for the College over the next three years: enhancing climate, more deeply understanding pay equity, exploring and implementing measures in recruitment and retention to improve diversity. and attending to areas of repair, especially concerning our past. Each priority has 15 broad action items that, in turn, include 38 specific action steps, which are outlined below. Progress on the plan will be provided here annually. We look forward to beginning this important work to benefit. the College and our community.
Action Items
- Recommend and make accessible DEI education for Dean’s Office Leadership Team (Begin Spring 2023)
- Communicate and share the College’s DEI values, relevant data and processes related to equity and diversity for the College (Begin Spring 2023)
- Through funding or public recognition, commit to the research, teaching and programming led by faculty and staff advances understanding of equity (Begin Spring 2023)
- Require and provide resources for all units to create DEI plans for enhancing and improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the unit (Begin Spring 2023)
- Track climate by administering annual qualitative and quantitative climate surveys (Begin Fall 2023)
- Launch workshop series to augment senior rank faculty and managers’ awareness of the relative vulnerability of junior faculty and staff, especially underrepresented individuals, in voicing concerns about DEI matters (Begin Fall 2024)
- Standardize and mandate compensation for DEI leadership in units (Begin Fall 2023)
- Increase grants supporting department and unit DEI projects (Begin Spring 2023)
- Explore ways to recognize and reward DEI service among staff and faculty (Begin Fall 2024)
- Provide resources to support DEI education activities for faculty and staff (Begin Fall 2023)
- Increase awareness of and provide support for DEI education activities specific to individual units’ needs (Begin Fall 2023)
- Expand information on support services on DEI website (Begin Fall 2023)
- Launch information campaign about available resources for equity concerns (Begin Fall 2023)
Progress
The College met its goals for the majority of Year I Action Items I-V. As of Year II, Action Steps I.1 and II.2 are in progress or were altered due to regulation changes.
Pay Equity
Take Measures to Understand and Address Pay Inequity among Faculty and Staff
Action Items
- Survey units about practices for examining staff and faculty salaries as well as unit leaderships’ desired guidance on salary study best practices (Fall 2023)
- Develop Salary committee best practices for distribution and training for unit leadership (Fall 2024)
- Provide pay equity training/workshop for unit directors, department chairs and managers (Begin Fall 2023)
- Charge unit leadership (e.g., chairs, directors, managers) to conduct annual pay equity review, identifying needs and challenges (Begin Fall 2024)
- College leadership to work with unit leadership on identifying needs for addressing strengthening pay equity (Begin Spring 2024)
- Communicate best practices for distribution of available funds for pay/merit pay (Begin Summer 2024)
Progress
The College revised its original Action I steps to focus on unit-level processes. Current Action I Steps designated for Year I are in progress. Action Step II.2 is delayed until Fall 2024.
Action Items
- Improve accountability in hiring processes by making accessible information and resources that support equity in hiring practices (Begin Fall 2023)
- Create and distribute comprehensive interview guide on acceptable interview procedures (Begin Fall 2023)
- Update chair and department manager’s manuals, outlining training opportunities as well as expectations and requirements for interacting with candidates (Begin Fall 2024)
- Create annual cluster hires and expand existing cluster hires (Begin Fall 2023)
- Develop and implement processes for identifying and prioritizing hiring within areas of research and programming that forward an understanding of or make an impact in equity and inclusion but are underrepresented or understaffed in the College (Begin Fall 2024)
- Review exit interview and turnover data to understand reasons for staff and faculty leaving positions (Begin Summer 2023)
- Where possible, gather original and supplementary exit and stay data on faculty and staff leaving or staying in positions (Begin Summer 2023)
- Research and develop plan for addressing and improving retention of faculty and staff (Begin Summer 2023)
- Facilitate access to mentoring networks especially for junior faculty, fixed term faculty and SHRA staff (Begin Spring 2024)
- Explore possibilities for creating enhanced opportunities for promotion among staff (Begin Summer 2024)
- Identify and promote areas for increased transparency in the tenure and faculty promotion process (Begin Summer 2023)
Progress
The College completed all Action I and Action II Steps for Year I. Action III and Action IV Steps designated for Year I are delayed by at least one year to allow staff to devise an appropriate process to achieve the relevant goals.
Repair
Reckon with and take measures to repair harms that our community has experienced
Action Items
- Explore, support and invest in the development or growth of affinity groups that provide spaces for intra-group dialogue, exchange and support among underrepresented faculty & staff (Begin Spring 2023)
- Augment opportunities for community dialogue and understanding with substantial community participation by: 1) hosting annual community town halls; 2) enhancing our Conversations to Uphold Equity series (Begin Spring 2023)
- Invest in work by faculty and staff that advances an understanding of any harms associated with our past or present, along with action steps for change (Begin Fall 2023)
- Promote work by faculty and staff that contributes to community repair in the face of our past (Begin Spring 2023)
- Support and showcase community-engaged, ethically-driven partnerships among UNC faculty/staff and Chapel Hill’s communities with a history of serving, providing substantial work or involvement with UNC-CH (Begin Fall 2024)
- Support student mentorship by faculty and staff who work with North Carolina students who are descendants of families or are from historically-marginalized communities that have a history of providing substantial work or involvement with UNC-CH (Begin Fall 2024)
- Work with units engaged substantially in community engagement to develop a set of DEI Best Practices for Community Engagement (Begin Spring 2024)
Progress
The College was delayed in three out of four Year I Action Steps for Year I due to time constraints, staffing constraints, and the need for assessment of best and appropriate pathways for achieving relevant goals. All Year I Action Steps are in progress by the start of Year II.