Conducting an Institutional Diversity Audit in Higher Education

“Congratulations to Chun and Evans for producing Conducting an Institutional Diversity Audit in Higher Education. They have provided a definitive roadmap for the academy to self-assess our progress towards the institutional inclusiveness that we strive to achieve. Higher Education will benefit from this book for institutional strategic planning around the diversity, equity, and inclusion space. A must read!”

Dennis A. Mitchell, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement

Columbia University

“This book is a MUST read for anyone committed to diversity, particularly in higher education. Many colleges and universities have made a commitment to implementing diversity practices without a similar commitment to assessing the effectiveness of those practices. This book is a critical resource to help move institutions toward that important next step.”

Bryan Cook, Vice President, Data and Policy Analysis

Association for Public & Land-Grant Universities

“It’s often said that it is the questions that one asks that stimulate reflection and deep learning. This is exemplified in this book. Each chapter is an in-depth discussion of one of the nine dimensions [of the Diversity Audit], and at the end of each chapter, the authors present a comprehensive list of questions for the analysis and assessment of that dimension.

Chun and Evans provide an empirically-based approach to auditing campus diversity and inclusion that engages a wide range of campus constituents in comprehensively highlighting the current state and shining a light on the path to transformation. It’s a must read!”

Benjamin D. Reese, Jr., Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Office for Institutional Equity

Duke University/Duke University Health System

“Edna Chun and Alvin Evans have provided a great service through this comprehensive overview of diversity audits. Colleges and universities seeking to diversify their community, guarantee equity and create inclusion will find this volume an excellent roadmap for organizing institutional change. I look forward to using the book!"

Michele Minter, Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity

Princeton University

“Conducting an Institutional Diversity Audit in Higher Education is a valuable tool for bringing systematic change to a college or university.

Discussions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have been taking place on college and university campuses for decades. Almost all institutions are concerned with these issues but find it difficult to accurately assess their own situation and to create a sound plan for moving forward. In many cases, advancing DEI is a decentralized process involving a collection of committees, initiatives, and programs originating in different units. In short, what is often lacking is a systemic approach.

Edna Chun and Alvin Evans address this problem by providing a practical guide that allows faculty and administrators to take an “intentional and integrated” approach to diversity and inclusion. Those who follow academic research on DEI issues in academia will no doubt be familiar with Chun and Evans, as they have spent decades researching and writing about diversity in higher education. This new book is designed to help institutions make meaningful changes. Many DEI discussions focus on desired outcomes, changes that students, faculty, staff, and administrators would like to see on their campuses. Inevitably, one comes to the difficult question of exactly how to achieve these goals. What is the process for identifying, assessing, and making real progress in DEI? This book is designed to help operationalize these discussions by identifying nine critical dimensions for building strategic diversity capacity, each of which is the subject of a separate chapter.

In addition to its thorough grounding in the latest research, one of the strengths of this book is the numerous examples, questionnaires, and rubrics included in each chapter. The authors’ review of contemporary policy and practice at a wide range of colleges and universities provides readers with an array of examples of definitions of diversity and inclusion, representative DEI themes in mission statements, accreditation criteria, and strategic plans.

Department chairs, deans, provosts, and other administrators desirous of making structural change regarding diversity and inclusion will find this work of great interest. Its combination of sound research and practical guidance make it a valuable, and timely, resource."

The Department Chair