Academic diversity officers are ‘boots on the ground’ for DEI

“Academic diversity officers,” new administrative positions recently established by universities across the country, aim to further advance the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion in particular colleges and academic disciplines.

One nursing professor and diversity officer referred to these positions as the “boots on the ground” within the schools.

A chief diversity officer is a university-wide position while “an academic diversity officer only focuses on their college (college of education, college of engineering, college of business, etc),” Toby Jenkins, interim associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at The Graduate School of the University of South Carolina, told The College Fix via email.