To facilitate planning at the unit level, Deans and Unit Directors are encouraged to consult with their DEI Leads and others early in the year to discuss upcoming plans, programs and funding needs. The CDO also confers and collaborates with deans and unit directors, to discuss strategies for integrating DEI work as part of the unit’s budget plan. The Chief Diversity Officer became part of the executive-level budget approval process for the university as a whole, with a voice in every major funding decision. The first step in assuring continuous and strategic funding for DEI, both campus wide and at the unit level, involved modifying the university’s budget procedure. The U-M’s decision to make DEI a component of every budget is based on the understanding that effective culture change requires an ongoing commitment of time, talent and dollars, and that change efforts cannot be separated from the budgeting process. Our current DEI Strategic Plan has served to shine a light on the need to be more intentional and transparent about DEI as part of the institution’s budget and budgeting process. Investing in additional efforts related to teaching & learning, professional development, and educational outreach to the K-12 community helps us achieve our mission as an institution. It is core to work that supports upholding federal laws such as Equal Opportunity Employment and Title IX. In many ways, DEI work is closely integrated with other core functions of the institution, such as recruiting, admissions, financial aid, and instruction. Perhaps most important, it assures participation and accountability by every academic department and administrative unit. It affirms the value and work of unit-based DEI leads. It keeps campus leadership focused on the goals and principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. It encourages Deans to have direct discussion and collaboration with faculty and staff about DEI as a function the budget supports. This structural change in funding protocol encourages every unit to include specific requests for DEI initiatives and to consider how DEI can be integrated into existing functions.įor the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI), it provides a point of consultation and assessment. At the U-M, this was achieved by making the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) an integral part of budget meetings with Deans and Unit Directors.
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