Witt/Kieffer: Chief Diversity Officers Assume Larger Leadership Role

Witt/Kieffer reports that there has been an increase in chief diversity officer searches, especially among private colleges and universities.

The title given to the CDO position varies across institutions but a majority (54%) of the respondents are members of their institution’s leadership team. Over two-thirds of respondents (69%) report that their presidents are engaged in their institution’s diversity strategic planning process and diversity initiatives.

Among the functions assigned to today’s CDO include:

• Diversity strategic planning
• Diversity training
• Institutional research and/or campus climate surveys
• Multicultural student recruitment and financial aid policy
• Student programming
• Faculty recruitment and retention consulting and support
• Curriculum review
• HR and Affirmative Action policies
• Diverse alumni relations

The full report is published on Witt/Kieffer’s website. Read the full report.