Promising Practice

HKS Class Discussion Software

HKS is prototyping cloud-based softwarethat tracks how frequently — or infrequently — students join class discussions.The software can produce charts that showstudents’ gender and nationality, ranking them by those who have participated least.This system is just one tool faculty canadopt to create a classroom environment where more students feel welcome to chime in and professors can level the playingfield. Nine faculty members are using thisnew software in 13 classes with more than 300 students.

Takeaway

This School is developing systems to leverage data in order...

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CHAN Schoolwide Climate Survey

In 2016 the Chan School completed aSchoolwide climate survey that examinedinclusion and belonging for all constituents. The survey data were collected and analyzed by an outside agency (the Culturally Engaging Campus EnvironmentsProject) and are available to all, and the findings were also presented in a number of live forums. During the last threeyears, the School has included questions on diversity and inclusion in student and staff exit surveys and has also added thesequestions to course evaluations. Exit surveyand course evaluation D&I questions are used for quality-improvement...

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RIAS Responsibility and Resources

Over the past several years Radcliffe hasworked proactively to ensure that all staffwith formal responsibility have the autonomy, staff, and fiscal resources to achievethe diversity and inclusion goals set in theirstrategic plans. While the positions listedabove have formal responsibility, the deanhas repeatedly emphasized that all Radcliffestaff members, regardless of department orgrade level, play an essential role in creatinga diverse and inclusive community.

Takeaway

This practice is about a School’s thinkingexplicitly about how to align authority...

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CHAN Associate Dean for Diversity

The associate dean for diversity is formallyresponsible for all aspects of strategy relatedto diversity, inclusion, and belonging. In addition, the senior director of human resources, associate dean for faculty affairs,and associate dean for student services are responsible for specific aspects of diversityand inclusion strategy for staff, faculty,and students, respectively. These latterofficials have specific compliance obligations related to diversity — e.g., affirmativeaction reporting, annual student diversity reporting to the Association of Schoolsand Programs of Public Health (...

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College Diversity Report

Senior leaders are held accountable to ensure that the areas they oversee achieve the diversity, inclusion, and belonging goalsas defined — and included in this are strategic planning efforts such as multiyearplanning to create and populate pipelines.An annual “state of the department” staffdiversity report is shared with individual senior leaders by the dean, and a conversation about obstacles to staff diversity is part of the performance review process.

Takeaway

This practice is an example of elevating diversity, inclusion, and belongingwork to the same...

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GSE OneCEPR

The Center for Education Policy Research(CEPR) successfully created OneCEPR, aspace where information related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is shared,and began making more connectionsbetween DEI and CEPR’s work. This was prompted after CEPR’s leadership reflected on the following:

  • What are our core values?
  • Is diversity at the organizational level reflected here?
  • Does the Center value people’s individual diversity?
  • Are folks satisfied with CEPR’s culture?

Had the leadership not posed...

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HKS Visual Design Consultant

HKS has hired a consultant to help developa visual design that will pull together the old and new buildings on its campus. Afterthat design has been set, the School will examine the use of spaces to enhancediversity, inclusion, and belonging.

Takeaway

This School is reviewing art and iconography to create appropriately inclusive spaces.

HSDM Alumni of Color Portraits

In conjunction with the 150th anniversary celebration and the launch of theFreeman, Grant, and Franklin Scholarship (named for key African-American alumni), the Office of Diversity andInclusion and the Office of Developmentand Alumni Relations are working oncreating a wall of portraits to celebratealumni of color.There is also a discussion about displaying flags that representstudents’ countries of origin in the lobbyof the Research Education Building.HSDM is also working on replacinggendered signs of single-stall bathroomswith gender-neutral ones.

Takeaway

This...

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HDS Vital Conversations

The Divinity School introduced a daylongconversation and presentation series duringincoming student orientation titled Vital Conversations, which focused on addressing racism and sexual and gender-based violence, and offered a continued series of community conversations throughout theyear with the same title, but touching on other aspects of diversity and inclusion.There were many events and programsorganized within the community, particularly by the student group HDS Racial Justice and Healing Initiative:

  • A conference on Buddhism and race.
  • A three-part...
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HLS Faculty Teaching Workshops

Each summer two or three of the faculty workshops focus on teaching, includingtopics such as gender and race in the classroom; experiential learning; and learning outcomes and assessments. These are workshops in which faculty share bestpractices for creating environments that foster inclusion and belonging in teachingand learning.

Takeaway

This practice provides an example ofhow to schedule formal time and spacefor faculty members to share how theycreate and foster inclusion and belonging through teaching and learning. Thebroader practice of sharing knowledge...

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GSD Joint Faculty-Staff Meeting

A joint faculty-staff meeting at thestart of each academic year promotes asense of shared vision in which the dean, faculty, and administrative leadershiplay out selected accomplishments andgoals. Human Resources (HR) provides staff and faculty opportunities to connect outside of the regular daily routine. HR coordinates regular Druker Design Gallerytours of current exhibitions led by faculty curators. In collaboration with the GSD Joint Council, HR hosts an annual “DesignToday” lecture given by a GSD facultymember to provide an opportunity forstaff to learn about the intellectual...

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FAS Tenure-Track Faculty Mentoring

The dean of FAS made mentoring oftenure-track faculty a central topic at his fall2015 retreat for the FAS academic deans. Together, the deans reviewed the principles underlying the FAS’s AY 2009‒10approach to mentoring and professional development, discussed fresh approaches,and formulated benchmarks to help themevaluate at the upcoming academic planning meetings how well departments/areas were doing.Throughout fall 2015, asthese academic planning discussions tookplace, the Office for Faculty Affairs (OFA)separately conducted focus groups withtenure-track and recently tenured faculty to...

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GSAS “Dual Citizens”

Because GSAS students may have “dual citizenship” in other Schools, there are alsocollaborative efforts with offices in these Schools. For example, GSAS has collaborated with colleagues in the Chan School of Public Health,Harvard Business School, and the Kennedy School of Government to develop GSAS-wide pipeline andretention programs. Collaborations exist with diversity and inclusion (D&I) officesacross Harvard on recruitment efforts. Finally, under the leadership of the Officeof the Assistant to the President for Institutional Diversity and Equity, individualsinvolved in D&I...

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DCE Courses on Diversity

While it’s difficult to know which courses explicitly incorporate content related toinclusion and belonging into the curriculum, ongoing efforts have been made to increase the number of courses that address related topics, such as race, sexuality,gender, religion, and culture.The HarvardExtension School (HES) currently offers more than 41 courses on these topics,including “Understanding Islam andContemporary Muslim Societies” and“Gender, Leadership, and Management.”These types of courses are very popularamong HES students and receive strong reviews each semester.

Takeaway...

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SEAS Funds for Staff Professional Development

SEAS encourages staff to utilize training sessions and professional developmentconference funds to develop and/orimprove skills used in their daily roles,or to develop a deeper knowledge in new areas of interest to their overall career paths. The FAS and the University have programs/offices/centers in place whichoffer professional development opportunities, research and funding applicationsupport, and teaching support to all faculty.There is a particular emphasis on providingmentoring support to tenure-track faculty.

Takeaway

This practice highlights the...

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