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[zyzzx]

I am hoping for some advice.
A TT position that I applied for listed, in the qualifications in the ad, a few things about "commitment to diversity." I just took that as boilerplate, and apparently I was not the only one. I've just received an email saying that, because most applicants ignored the commitment to diversity talk, they will now give us the chance to rectify that and send in an additional statement. Ok fine, they are really serious about this.
However, although I am all for diversity and such, I don't really know how one goes about demonstrating a commitment to something like "educational equity". Now clearly, if I had done something like start a mentoring program for underrepresented minority freshman or something, I'd know what to say. But I haven't done anything like that, so I'm a little stumped. Specifically, they want to know:

What I've done to demonstrate a commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity.
and
If I'm hired, what I would do to enhance things like educational equity, diversity, multicultural-ness, etc.

I do currently live in a country where I am a decided minority (and one that sticks out a lot), so I get cultural differences and all that. I could talk about promoting international and multicultural-ness, but I'm just not sure how that would go over - I mean is 'diversity' meant to really be about diversity, or is it meant to be about underprivileged or underrepresented minorities?

Any suggestions for how one might approach this would be very welcome!

[systeme_d_]

I think you're a woman in the sciences, is that correct?

If so, then write about women and other underrepresented minorities in the sciences, and what you think you could do to work toward greater representation in your department, and in your field.

Hint: Google "gender-fair instruction" and "your discipline."

I'm sending you a PM that includes a link to a friend's CV, and to the annual reports of an association to which she belongs.  She sometimes publishes in the area of "women in the sciences."

[barred_owl]

Listen to systeme_d--she is very wise.

Also, don't forget that "diversity" doesn't necessarily mean racial or ethnic, or even gender, diversity.  It can also refer to student qualities such as levels of preparedness for college, age-related diversity, and even diversity of life experiences.  You could talk about ways you might take these sorts of things into account when you're designing courses or thinking about ways of creating a classroom environment that takes academic diversity into account, as well.

[systeme_d_]

Listen to systeme_d--she is very wise.

Also, don't forget that "diversity" doesn't necessarily mean racial or ethnic, or even gender, diversity.  It can also refer to student qualities such as levels of preparedness for college, age-related diversity, and even diversity of life experiences.  You could talk about ways you might take these sorts of things into account when you're designing courses or thinking about ways of creating a classroom environment that takes academic diversity into account, as well.

Speaking of wisdom, there's a passel of it in that post!
Very valuable information there, Barred_Owl.

[hikingprof]

Listen to systeme_d--she is very wise.

Also, don't forget that "diversity" doesn't necessarily mean racial or ethnic, or even gender, diversity.  It can also refer to student qualities such as levels of preparedness for college, age-related diversity, and even diversity of life experiences.  You could talk about ways you might take these sorts of things into account when you're designing courses or thinking about ways of creating a classroom environment that takes academic diversity into account, as well.

+1

This is the way I have discussed diversity, and I've been rather successful in doing so. Diversity of perspective, learning style, and background are all just as important as race, class, and gender. Especially if they are asking you about how this affects your teaching/mentoring/tutoring/etc.

[barred_owl]

Thanks, systeme_d and hikingprof, for your kind endorsements of my contribution to this thread.

FWIW, in our current round of interviews we are asking about academic diversity and inclusivity, and favoring candidates who can provide honest examples of how they address these issues in their classrooms. 

I'm at an institution that has relatively low levels of racial/ethnic diversity, but runs the gamut in terms of student preparedness for college and life experience.  We're about 50-50 in terms of gender balance.  Bluntly stated, we have virtually no African-American, Latino, or Asian-American students, but we DO have a lot of (mostly white) students who struggle with reading, writing, and arithmetic, regardless of their age.  We have a few (probably <25%) students who are very strong, academically speaking.  Additionally, most of our students are place-bound, so may not have the broader geographic perspective that students on a very large campus might have, nor will they necessarily have an interest in knowing much about the world beyond their very limited perceptions.  Given all that, it becomes clear to us almost immediately that candidates haven't done their "homework" about our school if they only think of "diversity" as meaning racial or ethnic diversity. 

That said, still follow systeme_d's advice, too, zyzzx.  I'd also recommend reading the forum threads that have to do with preparing for an interview.  If you do your homework about the places to which you've applied, you can learn a lot about the student population on those campuses and (honestly) tailor your answers to the inevitable questions about "diversity" in the classroom.

[liberta]

It's important to the search committee to know how you will ADAPT your expectations of students in the face of a range of diversities, most of which have been mentioned by barred_owl and hikingprof and systeme_d.

Can you recall any examples of experiences you've had where you realized that what you expected from students turned out to be unrealistic because some of the students had not been educated, or had not prepared themselves to be educated, and thus they were not at a level where what you were asking of them made sense to them?
If you can recall such experiences, can you remember what you did to resolve the disparity between your expectations and 'the real conditions on the ground' ?  And can you think in terms of what you would or could do if such situations come up again?  I mean, can you imagine some creative ways of negotiating the expectation gap without dumbing down the material you'd be teaching?

Also, do you have a good sense of what the institution to which you applied means by "diversity"?

Do you think they are interested in your vision of public outreach?  Do they want to create more diversity than they currently have?  If so, have they told you anything about how they have tried to create diversity? If so, then you might want to think about what role you could play in strengthening their current plan.  If not, perhaps you can propose initiatives that maybe they've not yet thought of...and ones that would involve asking questions about the changing nature of diversity and how the project of increasing diversity can change an institution.  In other words, you might suggest projects that could be carried out that would draw upon your skills as a researcher to actually teach students different approaches to increasing diversity.

I don't know what kind of scientist you are, but perhaps you could begin discussing diversity by telling your reader (the SC) what diversity means within the science in which you have expertise.  And then build on that definition, expand and enhance it etc, by imagining projects that would involve collaborating with students.

[michigander]

Before responding to the request for information, see if you can find on the institution's web site any clues to what they really mean when they refer to diversity so that you can address their expressed needs.  Some schools need to be able to serve quite specific populations.  At times, I've been asked in interviews what level of experience I've had working with such varied groups as Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, working adults, returning students, FTIACs, and LGBT students.

[scion]

You are getting great advice here to think about diversity broadly.  What about your research?  Does your research contribute to your field in a way that may make it more inclusive?

[zyzzx]

Thank you, everyone, for your words of wisdom.
I have been poking around the university's diversity office website, and most of the talk is about gender equity and underrepresented minorities, including Native Americans. This is a flagship state school (in a state that is not terribly diverse) with a relatively low population of nontraditional students. I wasn't able to find any stats on first generation students, which I suppose means that it's not as much of a focus. They have a lot of things like cultural centers, programs to provide support for various groups, and I thought I saw something about K-12 outreach, but now I can't find it again. They definitely want to increase their populations of the underrepresented groups. Unfortunately, the population that I do have a lot of experience with is actually an overrepresented minority, although less so in my field than in some others.

That is a very good point, barred_owl, hikingprof, and liberta, about different levels of preparedness. Unfortunately, I have actually have zero experience with that. I don't have a lot of teaching experience in general, and the experience I do have is from schools where there are no underprepared students (and no nontraditional students, and aside from Asian-Americans/Asians, very few minority students). I know that this is something that I will have to learn, and I certainly recognize that my future students (wherever I end up) will not be same as the students where I went to school, but honest examples of me dealing with it don't exist.

In terms of my research, it is a physical science. The only thing I can think of is that I do have a lot of international collaborators and do a lot of overseas field work (although that is common in my field). I expect I'd be able to easily recruit grad students from the part of the world where I am now living, but again, they're a somewhat overrepresented population.

I do think that, given my background/experiences, I could most genuinely talk about things like gender, international students, non-native speakers, and multiculturalism. I worry that if I start talking about things that I have no experience with or no apparent previous interest in (like outreach in Native American communities or something), it will just sound like BS. Although diversity in educational backgrounds is something I'll likely face, so I know I should acknowledge that.

Thanks again all, you have all given me something to chew on.

[msparticularity]

I do think that, given my background/experiences, I could most genuinely talk about things like gender, international students, non-native speakers, and multiculturalism. I worry that if I start talking about things that I have no experience with or no apparent previous interest in (like outreach in Native American communities or something), it will just sound like BS. Although diversity in educational backgrounds is something I'll likely face, so I know I should acknowledge that.

Your instincts are good here: don't try to BS. It is just fine, though, to talk about the experiences and the ideas that you have had--including the research that has been done in your field--and to acknowledge that these a bit different from the situation of this institution. This will show that you have done the work of looking at their demographics and thinking about it. If there is anything that you think might translate, talk about that, but for the rest just indicate interest, and willingness  to work on these issues as a part of larger institutional programs.

[hikingprof]

...and willingness  to work on these issues as a part of larger institutional programs.

I would stress that this willingness is important too. They probably will know perfectly well that you don't have experience with every form of diversity on their campus, but showing your willingness to participate in their larger institutional effort will go a long way.

[mleok]

If I were to be a bit cynical, such "diversity statements" are more often than not way to circumvent state legislation against affirmative action policies (I'm thinking California and Michigan, amongst others).

If you happen to be a woman or underrepresented minority in the sciences, then something to the effect of serving as a role model for students in such underrepresented groups will be all you really need.

[zyzzx]

If I were to be a bit cynical, such "diversity statements" are more often than not way to circumvent state legislation against affirmative action policies (I'm thinking California and Michigan, amongst others).

If you happen to be a woman or underrepresented minority in the sciences, then something to the effect of serving as a role model for students in such underrepresented groups will be all you really need.

Yes, I have also had the cynical thought that all they are really looking for is something explicit that will enable them to check that box on an HR form. But this would be a really great job, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't want to screw it up on something like this.

[heptameron]

Great post, zyzzx, thanks for asking about it!  It is perhaps the case that search committees will be asking applicants for "diversity statements" along with "teaching statements" etcetera more frequently, so maybe this is a sign of the times.