Timeline | Inception of the Diversity Statement

• Early 2000s in the UC system
• Early 2010s Widely adopted by universities for faculty positions
• Mid 2010s Called into question by creating the false dichotomy of DEI v Merit- based hiring
• 2018 UC system made the statements mandatory for tenure-track position applications

Timeline | Current State of the Statement

• 2020 Near complete adoption of the practice allegedly in response to the murder of George Floyd
• 2022 UW rejected making the statement a requirement for tenure-track applications
• 2023 Banned in public institutions in Texas, North Carolina and Missouri
• 2025 it is often a requirement in non-tenure track applications, often optional

Purpose

• Academic search committees can gauge a candidate’s ‘fit’ with the institution/ student body
• Documentation method to include the unpaid labor and often overlooked work of non-majority candidates

It is

• Fundamental demonstration of your values, commitments and capabilities in an academic position
• Three areas of demonstration - the core of the academic position
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Service
• Another opportunity to stand out

It is not

• About you
  • Your identities
  • Your privileges
• Not a chance to medal in the Oppression Olympics
• Not a savior narrative, nor a
  • Pie in the Sky
  • We are the World
  • Ideological pontification

How does it fit in your application package?

• Teaching Statement highlights your
  • Philosophy in practice
  • Qualifications
  • Future contributions
• Research Statement highlights your
  • Direction and purpose of scientific inquiry
  • Funding capabilities
  • Collaborative potential and broader field contributions

Why?

• Demonstrate your alignment with the institution’s mission, vision & values (MVV)
• Opportunity to expand on what you’ve written in your teaching & research statements
• Showcases your understanding of ‘DEI’ beyond visible diversity
• Thematically present yourself as the complete package by weaving your narrative across all 3 statements

Preparation | Things You’ll Need

1. Institution’s MVV
2. Writing Tool/ Laptop
3. Your CV

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Over-sharing your personal story
• Over-sanitizing your statement is a red flag
• Self depreciation due to your privilege or
• Trauma dumping to prove you’ve ‘earned it’

Pitfalls to Avoid

• False equivalencies - hyperbole and rhetoric are not useful tools here
• Lack of specificity - theory is just an unpracticed thought in this regard
• Trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents - don’t oversell or inflate your experiences

Tips for Writing & Editing

• Remember: “Diversity statements are fundamentally about your values, commitments, and capabilities, and the ways it shapes your work.”
• Limited experience does not make you a terrible educator, just a new one.
  • Demonstrate what you’ve learned and how you can implement it.
  • Don’t let your beliefs around the facts to supersede the facts themselves
• Writing a positionality statement first

Tips for Writing & Editing

• Storyboarding or concept mapping your package makes this easier to visualize
• Updating your CV before beginning
• Tailor it to the institution and position
• Don’t waste space repeating yourself
• Get another set of eyes on that joint!

Wrapping it up

Reminders

• Remember, it is not who you are, but what you can do
• Specificity, specificity, specificity!
• Connect this statement to your teaching and research statements for maximum impact

Resources