Iowa State hires diversity and inclusion chief

AMES - Iowa State University has some work to do in the area of diversity and inclusion, and its newest vice president aims to take it on come December.

Pending Board of Regents approval next week, Reginald Stewart - chief diversity officer at the University of Nevada in Reno - will start as ISU's first-ever vice president for diversity and inclusion Dec. 1. Stewart's current position in Nevada also was an inaugural post when he took it.

Iowa State President Steven Leath created the new job on the Ames campus based on recommendations from a 2013 study of ISU diversity programs, according to ISU News Service.

The research found shortcomings in diversity programming, hiring, and retention. Employment groups on campus reported feeling 'like invisible workers,” according to the study. Researchers found ISU's living environment failed to meet basic needs of diverse groups, and sensitivity training was 'believed to be absent on campus, but warranted,” according to the report.

Of ISU's 6,392 workers in 2013, 50.2 percent were women - exactly the same percentage as in 2008 and up from 48.8 percent in 2003, according to the research. Minorities made up 12.5 percent of its workforce in 2013, up from 10.4 percent in 2008 and 11.1 percent in 2003.

ISU's minority undergraduate enrollment comprised about 11 percent of its total undergraduate enrollment in 2012, according to the study. That was lowest among 11 land grant institutions and the Big 12 schools.

Iowa State's most recent enrollment report - from fall 2015 - shows its U.S. minority enrollment has reached 4,326, or 12 percent of the 36,001 total enrollment.

'For the past nine years, Iowa State has met or exceeded the 8.5 percent minority goal set by the Board of Regents,” according to the report.

But Leath, in a statement Thursday, stressed Iowa State's commitment to diversity isn't measured by just statistics.

'It's a principle that guides our land grant mission of education, research and service,” he said. 'I am very pleased to bring Dr. Reginald Steward on board as our new vice president for diversity and inclusion to enhance our campus environment in a way that values and celebrates diversity.”

The university's 2013 diversity report listed hiring a chief diversity officer among its recommendations to improve the campus culture. It also suggested:

' Providing

resources to help groups implement diversity agendas

' Holding

listening sessions, inviting suggestions, and including students in planning

' Offering

incentives for colleges and units to increase diversity among students and employees

' Conducting

a universitywide policy review around diversity

' Collecting

data on diverse groups' social needs

' Focusing

equally on retention and promotion of diverse groups

' Ensuring

the administration reflects diversity expectations on campus

As ISU's inaugural chief diversity office, Stewart will advise senior leadership on diversity planning efforts, develop initiatives to increase diversity through recruitment and retention, and serve as an advocate for equity and inclusion.

In a statement, Stewart said he'll start with a lot of communication.

'The key thing about diversity and inclusion work is social capital,” Stewart said. 'That is the most important thing. It's your ability to work with people, and that only comes from being sincere, honest and taking the time to engage people.”

And even though Stewart's focus will be on promoting and supporting diversity, he said he'll advocate for all students.

'The reality is diversity and inclusion are beneficial for all the students who are studying at Iowa State because they're going to graduate and move into a much more diverse workforce than most of us have ever encountered,” he said in a statement.