Diversity and inclusion efforts at colleges and universities also help the business community

By Andrew Weeks

Frank King Jr. wants to see more inclusion efforts at schools in the region, particularly Minnesota State University Moorhead where he now works as associate provost of diversity and inclusion. King, who arrived in July, is the first to fill the role. His responsibilities include working with staff and faculty to make sure resources are available for students and their various ethnic, cultural and racial backgrounds.

King said the goal, part of the Minnesota State Equity 2030 plan, is to bring a deeper level of commitment to diversity and equity on campus – something that creates ripple effects in the business community. “What we’re finding out is that businesses want new graduates or new employees to be good communicators. I think businesses already feel like they can train you to do the job; but can they train you to be effective communicators? Can they train you to effectively work with people from diverse backgrounds?” he said. “I think businesses are looking for that and are hungry for that type of employee.”

STUDENTS IN A CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT CLASS AT MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD ARE SEEN WORKING ON A PROJECT AT THE CAMPUS. THE SCHOOL RECENTLY HIRED ITS FIRST ASSOCIATE PROVOST OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION TO HELP WITH THE SCHOOL’S INCLUSION EFFORTS.

IMAGE: DAVID ARNTSON/ MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MOORHEAD

He said the school’s inclusion efforts are to provide resources to help students from various backgrounds become better rounded citizens.

“It becomes more economical for businesses to have that, because when you have a diverse workforce, you have a diversity of ideas,” he said. “Those ideas could become more profitable, could be more beneficial from a social standpoint for the community and the business as well. And it could cause the closing of actual gaps, from an injustice standpoint, in our society.”

Such efforts also help students become more engaged contributors to society.

From a classroom perspective, efforts are made to provide faculty resources that include the topics of diversity and equity inclusion in their curriculum – from STEM-related fields, criminal justice and sociology, and other programs, “closing equity gaps on our campus,” King said.

“This is something that the system has been trying to do – to close equity gaps on campus and enhance student learning to make sure that students are getting the best information they possibly can to be better global citizens.”

Many of South Dakota’s institutions of higher learning also are taking a look at diversity and inclusion on their campuses.

Nathan Lukkes, chief of staff and general counsel at South Dakota Board of Regents, which oversees six public universities and two specialty schools, said over the past year to 18 months the school system has shifted its approach to how it approaches diversity and inclusion.

The system has taken a step back, “taken a more holistic look at the needs and challenges of all students within the university system,” he said. “As a result of that, we kind of reshaped what were previously Diversity Offices on campuses and now have Opportunity Centers to make sure that we’re recognizing, addressing, and accommodating all of the unique challenges or issues that exist across all of our student population, and that we’re connecting the relevant dots and people on campus to make sure that nobody’s slipping through the cracks.”

Lukkes said each Opportunity Center varies slightly from campus to campus, depending on the need and size. While it is still early, so far the efforts have been viewed as positive.

“By and large, the message has been that it’s been a good exercise and has helped connect resources, maybe break down barriers,” he said, noting the Diversity Centers previously worked in a sort of silo atmosphere. Today there is “a fresh look that has broken down some of those silos and caused some better communication and interaction between related offices and resources on campus.”

The end result: Students are better served; and in the long run, so is the business community. How so?

“That’s a great question,” Lukkes said. “Every campus is a little different and tailored to different workforce markets, if you will; but that’s certainly a conversation that has been ongoing. We’ve engaged the various campuses and numerous industry partners in different fields. Workforce is certainly top of mind for most, as you know; almost every employer sector is struggling to find help today, particularly in the engineering fields. The ability to come out of school and work in a multicultural global economy is critical to our making sure that graduates have the resources and skills needed to communicate with, and adjust to, differing viewpoints, dif- continued on page 16 continued from Page 15 fering cultural norms. It is becoming more and more critical for the employers that are hiring our students every day.”

At the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, diversity and inclusion efforts also are important for what they might mean in the business and larger community in general. The school’s office of Student Diversity and Inclusion mainly focuses on domestic students of color and the LGBTQ-plus community, according to Director Stacey Borboa-Peterson. UND’s International Center works with students from foreign countries.

“We do a variety of things to help students connect with students, to find community or a sense of belonging, specifically around identity,” she said. “We also assist with efforts, whether financially by looking at external scholarships they might be eligible for based on identity and specific need … or trying to liaison a specific department, faculty or advisor, just trying to support them while they’re here on campus.

Ultimately we try to help them to be successful, feel like a part of the community, and eventually graduate from UND.”

The university also has 270-plus organizations, many which are geared to specific racial and cultural and other identities.

“There is just a large number of student organizations that are tied to identity and are meant to support community and allow students to either learn more about their culture, their identity, or to find ways to celebrate what they already know,” Borboa-Peterson said, noting the organizations are not only for those specific identity groups. Anyone can join if they’d like to learn more and increase their awareness and perspective.

As society becomes more diverse, she said, it is critical that schools of high learning take a hard look at their diversity and inclusion efforts and fulfill their roles responsibly. UND has been doing that for a number of years, such as with its program called Leaders in Action.

“I think just in general, universities have a responsibility to lead by their efforts and show others the value and importance of things like diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, accessibility,” she said. “I think that is the responsibility of an institution of higher learning, and I think we can do that in such a way that shows our partners within the community, within the larger community, why it’s important.

“I also think that it helps to show our students the value and importance – and the humanity – in it all. Those are tremendous opportunities, the expectations and responsibilities, that an institution has as leaders in society. And the work we do can overflow into the community … leading by doing and by example.”