Public University Now Requires ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ Pledge From Applicants

The University of Cincinnati recently announced a new policy for faculty and staff applicants as part of an effort to promote "diversity and inclusion," the College Fix reported.

"As of July 1, the University of Cincinnati will request a Diversity and Inclusion statement of all applicants for faculty and staff positions,” a statement published on the school's website last month reads. “Faculty and administrative/professional applicants will be asked to submit a personal statement summarizing his or her contributions (or potential contributions) to diversity, inclusion and leadership."

Image source: University of Cincinnati

The policy coincides with the university's broader effort to hire more "historically underrepresented" employees, a key goal outlined in its "Diversity Plan." The plan calls for more African-American, women and other "traditionally underrepresented" employees.

Under the new policy, even those seeking hourly jobs at the public university, which receives more than 63,000 applications per year, must provide a response to this prompt: "As an equal-opportunity employer with a diverse staff and student population, we are interested in how your qualifications prepare you to work with faculty, staff and students from cultures and backgrounds different from your own."

M.B. Reilly, the university spokesperson who announced the change, said in an email to the College Fix that the new policy reflects campus leaders’ desire to ensure those hired align with the school’s priorities.

"Asking for diversity and inclusion statements in our application processes signals that we are global, we are national and we want to become more so in drawing students, staff and faculty that reflect today’s world," Reilly said.

"The diversity and inclusion statement is one part of an application process that would generally take into account other factors as well," Reilly continued, citing general experience, aptitude, specialty knowledge, motivation, work history, work ethic and salary requirements as some of these factors.

"We do not intend to assign a rating for the statements, but as we expect a cover letter to reflect interest in the position one applies to, so do we expect an understanding of how UC values the ability to work among diverse students, faculty and staff,” Reilly stated. “For any position, any search committee and/or any hiring manager/supervisor considers the needs of the position and the strengths of the candidates in a holistic manner.”

According to the UC website, the university has about 400 job openings at any given time.

UC’s chief diversity officer, Bleuzette Marshall, told WCPO-TV what she hopes will come out of the new policy.

"We want to be able to see who people are a little bit coming through the door, and we want them to know who we are, so we aren’t surprised by each other," she said.

According to Tamie Grunow, UC's chief human resources officer, "This application request recognizes that the university is a diverse environment and signals that diversity and inclusion are important enough that we’re asking applicants about contributions or potential contributions up front."

"We’re all better off with diversity in our lives, and it’s part of demonstrating our commitment to diversity and inclusion and setting expectations and priorities," she added.