ATLANTA — Those attending the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) 2018 Standards of Professional Practice Institute described the second annual event as affirming their experience as diversity officers.
In an effort to professionalize the ever-changing institutional role of what is broadly described as a chief diversity officer (CDO), the institute facilitated key discussions on NADOHE’s 12 standards of professional practice for diversity officers to move their institutions forward in their commitment to “inclusive excellence” for all in the campus community.
Sessions also served as safe spaces for the institutional change agents to build a community of peers to express best practices, share concerns or work through institutional challenges relative to their diversity work. Further, the institute provided professional development to participants, challenging them to leverage their capacity to accomplish their institutional goals.
Mastering the competencies of this profession is “essential to the viability” of diversity, equity and inclusion work in higher education, said Dr. Archie W. Ervin, president of NADOHE and vice president for institute diversity at Georgia Institute of Technology.
In an opening presentation Wednesday, Ervin gave an overview of the evolution of the CDO role. He said CDOs are “not a monolithic group” but are individuals with varying perspectives about how to achieve a common goal.
However, NADOHE’s “turf” is grounded in the scholarship around the legal, historical, demographic and social justice and equity components central to diversity, equity and inclusion, he said.
The institute’s faculty started by emphasizing that the work of a CDO is often erratic and unpredictable, requiring individuals to practice self-care.
