Office Of Diversity In Higher Education

Introduction Rice University is a private, research university in central Houston, TX. It is a small yet prestigious higher education institution. Rice’s commitment to academic excellence is exceptional and with small class sizes, faculty are readily available. In fact, faculty can be considered the beating heart that keep all parts of the institution flowing properly. Behind great faculty at Rice University is a growing faculty development program. Although the faculty development is fairly new, its establishment demonstrates Rice’s dedication to faculty development. After evaluating the faculty development website and speaking with the Office of Faculty Development’s office manager, I was able to understand the importance of faculty

It is important to “give special attention to how we welcome a diverse group of practitioners to the field and support their preparation and training” (Gillespie & Robertson, 2010, p. 15). Diversity is more than having different people in one place. It is about smoothly and respectfully blending customs, cultures, and ideologies into one unique bundle. In addition, it is important to be properly prepared to care for a diverse team of instructors. For Rice, maintaining diversity is integral to academic success. Rice strives to achieve this success, in part, by “cultivating a diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders across the spectrum of human endeavor” (Office of Diversity and Inclusion, n.d.-a, para. 2). According Amborski (2017), there is a very clear focus on women and minorities when it comes to diversity at Rice. Rice has implemented several different programs over several years to ensure women are aware of the resources available to them, minorities are welcomed and valued, and both historically underrepresented groups are supported and retained by the

This program is in place to “increase the number of women and under-represented minorities at Rice and to transform the climate of the institution” (Office of Faculty Development, n.d.-a, para. 1). According to Amborski (2017), the NSF ADVANCE program has absolutely begun to change campus climate. It not only addresses diversity issues related to faculty and students, but it provides ways faculty can maintain a healthy work-life balance. Amborski (2017) stated working at Rice can be challenging due to the competitiveness and rigidity of faculty. There is also a culture of self-sufficiency and limited collaboration between faculty stages. However, in more recent years, faculty have become more collaborative and altruistic. The Rice leadership team has also begun to collaborate across programs more often. The development programs offered by OFD bring a positive change of pace and a variety of ways for faculty and leadership teams to interact. Through these interactions, diversity is