Why diversity, equity and inclusion must be part of KCTCS
Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. These are not just buzzwords. They are important values that all organizations must incorporate if they are to have a strong team. I’ve made a commitment to making DEI part of each of our new strategic plan goals to ensure KCTCS is as diverse, equitable and inclusive as possible.
Recently, I took part in cultural competency training with some of my System Office colleagues. We delved into how we see ourselves and how we think others see us. Yes, race played a role, but it was also about gender, age, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We learned that people have a multitude of thoughts and feelings about their place in the world and that even though we have several generations in our workplace, many of the feelings transcend age. For example, we had four generations of women say they felt others see them as their age. Whether they felt they are seen as too young or too old, we now know that age is a concern for some of our colleagues.
My job as president of KCTCS is to make sure everyone who works or studies with us feels like they belong. Like they are welcome. Like they are included and like they have the same opportunities as their counterparts.
In addition to the strategic plan goals, I’ve taken some other steps to help ensure this sense of belonging and equity. First, I added two strategic talent manager positions in our HR department to make sure that we are getting a diverse crop of candidates for every job opening. Second, we are conducting a national search for a Vice President of Talent, Inclusion and Workplace Culture. This person will report directly to me and serve on my leadership team. The vice president will be responsible for planning, developing and directing system-wide initiatives that focus on human resources, inclusion, diversity and pluralism, workplace culture and staff professional development.
As I visited our 16 colleges last fall, I heard from our faculty and staff that this is important to them, and as I’ve said, it’s important to me as well.
You can find the job description on ACCT’s website. I invite you to apply if you fit the qualifications. If this position is not for you, I ask you to share the information with friends and family who could be a good fit.
I look forward to our next round of cultural competency training and to being able to share that training throughout the entire system. Working with diverse teams helps us to be more creative and innovative. It helps us to be a better place to work and learn. And it helps us to be better people.
