Peruse the websites of organizations and institutions that have DEI commitments and goals and you will likely find mission statements, hiring goals, support for affinity groups, and a myriad of other programs meant to achieve equity and belonging. Very few, however, think to include data equity as part of their strategic initiatives. Data, however, has the potential to influence and shape the ways institutions promote and achieve their other public-facing DEI work.
Data equity principles guide the work of anyone who works with data to consider the ways data are collected, analyzed, shared, and acted upon through a lens of equity, justice, and diversity. It is with these principles in mind that the DEI Data Working Group submitted recommendations for the identification, collection, sharing, and dissemination of disaggregated data in the summer of 2021. Their goals included identifying a comprehensive set of DEI data variables, examining data collection processes, developing a robust DEI data governance and sharing policy, and publishing comprehensive DEI dashboards.
In keeping with President Snyder’s commitments to move us Beyond Words, we are pleased to share the first set of outcomes from the working group’s recommendations.
DEI Data Dashboards
The recommendation to develop comprehensive DEI dashboards to ensure relevant metrics are available for community consumption will be achieved through multiple phases. The first phase of the DEI Data Dashboards have been developed utilizing LMU’s federally mandated data reported to The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The Westchester Campus Faculty Count Dashboard and the Undergraduate Application, Admission and Enrollment Dashboard, which reports federally mandated data on gender, are currently available. A first-generation student filter has also been added to the current Westchester Campus Enrollments Dashboard. In summer 2023, the Westchester Campus Staff Count Dashboard will be released. As we continue to develop the dashboards, we will also review the dashboards and available data to ensure they remain aligned with our priorities and we will continue to update them accordingly.
DEI Data Definitions
Additionally, we have been working to implement the working group’s recommendation to identify and define a comprehensive set of diversity, equity, and inclusion data variables that fully represent and celebrate the diversity of the LMU community. Notably, LMU is in the process of creating working definitions of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality to be more inclusive than federal reporting categories. We need your help to ensure we create inclusive definitions. Please take 3-5 minutes to fill out a demographic survey to ensure that LMU adequately represents the diversity of our community. The survey is available in English and Spanish and will be open until April 16.
We look forward to our continued work on the DEI Data Working Group recommendations. Thank you to Jennifer Belichesky-Larson, Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Chair of the DEI Data Working Group, all the members of the working group, and our many collaborative partners who have put many months of work into realizing these goals and helping us move closer to becoming an anti-racist university.
