Questions to Ask Yourself When Composing a Diversity Statement

“[The] diversity statement is not intended to be a recitation of all the ways that a particular candidate is diverse or their life story about adversity that they’ve dealt with or overcome. That certainly can be there. But it really is supposed to think about ... how is this person going to engage diversity, equity inclusion issues if they become a faculty member? What are they going to bring to the classroom? What are they going to bring to research? How are they going to advance the mission of the university or the department with relation to these topics?” [1] 

Diversity statements are becoming a common element of academic applications in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. These statements provide applicants an opportunity to explain how their research, teaching, community service and life experiences support their understanding of and interactions with students and colleagues with diverse backgrounds.  

As awareness and appreciation of the role of the diversity statement grows, many job seekers remain confused about what should be included in one. Colleges and universities have different expectations for specific elements in the diversity statement, and some provide rubrics for prospective applicants to structure their essays. Beyond institution-specific instructions, asking yourself the following five questions is a solid start to a strong, general diversity statement: 

1. What webinars, conferences, workshops and/or trainings have I attended to better understand inclusive teaching practices? 
2. What initiatives have I spearheaded or contributed to apply my diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training for the improvement of the academic experiences of diverse groups of students?
3. What academic and nonacademic literature have I engaged with to expand my awareness of DEI issues and underrepresented groups in my field?
4. What acquired experiences in DEI have I gained and/or do I have? That is, how have I engaged with diverse groups in real life and/or how has my diversity influenced my work?
5. In answering questions 1-4, have I conveyed a clear willingness to invest time and effort and make accommodations so that I can contribute to on- or off-campus DEI research and teaching? 

The remainder of this article explains why these questions are important and how they will help you craft a compelling diversity statement.

1. What webinars, conferences, workshops and/or trainings have I attended to better understand inclusive teaching practices?

By spending valuable time  participating in extracurricular learning opportunities while earning your doctorate degree (a difficult feat in itself!), you demonstrate your commitment to better understand and engage with DEI topics in your field and academia in general. The former is conveyed through webinars and conferences and the latter through workshops and trainings. Here, you might detail one or two of these extracurricular activities in your diversity statement, describing what the event was about, how you contributed to it (if you did), and what you gained and were challenged by during it. 

2. What initiatives have I spearheaded or contributed to apply my DEI training for the improvement of the academic experiences of diverse groups of students?

In addition to participation in extracurricular opportunities, your diversity statement should display your application of this DEI and inclusive teaching knowledge to your real-life campus and classroom experiences. This could include mentorship of underrepresented students in high school or college, leadership of an on-campus minority-led student organization and encouragement of diverse viewpoints in the classroom, among others. The goal here is to emphasize that you have determined not only to raise your awareness of DEI but also to act on that awareness in your academic work. 

3. What academic and nonacademic literature have I engaged with to expand my awareness of DEI issues and underrepresented groups in my field?

Noting the academic and nonacademic literature you have engaged with is another way to convey your commitment to addressing DEI issues and underrepresented groups. From academic literature focused on investigating these, you might learn, for instance, about leaky pipelines in STEM-oriented departments, bias in research designs, the treatment of different groups of people in a certain field, and the role diversity plays in enriching classroom experiences. From nonacademic literature, you can often gather a more first-person, “real-life” account of the issues dealt with at conferences and trainings and within academic literature. You can touch on these in your diversity statement to show your commitment both inside and outside of formal and classroom settings. 

4. What acquired experiences in DEI have I gained and/or do I have? That is, how have I engaged with diverse groups in real life and/or how has my diversity influenced my work?

This question refers to “everyday” experiences that you have with DEI (i.e., about yourself, people you’ve worked with, or both). Are there situations in which you have interacted with diverse groups outside of academia and teaching? Examples include projects with volunteer organizations or in industry, discussions about cultural differences that challenged you and maybe made you feel uncomfortable, or travel that brought you in contact with people culturally or ideologically different from yourself. 

Moreover, in what ways have your diversities (national origin, cultural background, religious beliefs, ideology, etc.) influenced your work as an academic at your university and a citizen of the world? Your acquired experiences might seem limited, but they have value. For those who, because of the demanding nature of graduate studies, have had little time for professional training and workshops, the answer to this question could be especially important. 

5. In answering questions 1-4, have I conveyed a clear willingness to invest time and effort and make accommodations so that I can contribute to on- or off-campus DEI research and teaching?

This is the gist of the diversity statement. Everything you write about in this essay should be aimed at ultimately answering this final question. 

Author’s note. A longer discussion about the general diversity statement can be found in OR/MS Tomorrow [2]. 

References 

1. Amanda Jungels, 2021, Personal interview, Sept. 15, Rice University. 
2. https://www.informs.org/Publications/OR-MS-Tomorrow/Preparing-Your-Diversity-Statement-A-Commitment-to-Inclusive-Teaching-and-Research