Embedded within each college and school at DePaul is a Diversity Advocate whose role is to support diverse faculty within the unit and promote the unit's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The Diversity Advocate is appointed by the Dean of their school or college and serves a one-year term with the possibility of renewal. Diversity Advocates meet at least quarterly with the Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. These meetings serve to ensure coordination with other university/college efforts and groups (such as the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity, Student Affairs, Faculty Fellows Program, Mission and Values, Society of Vincent DePaul Professors, etc).
In their role, Diversity Advocates:
- Serve as a resource for diverse faculty to help them navigate the various university systems.
- Provide support to diverse faculty in their respective college.
- Provide a safe and confidential environment for diverse faculty to express issues and concerns.
- Provide a platform for faculty to discuss diversity issues that affect faculty success and promote an atmosphere of support and acceptance.
- Inform their Dean of issues that may be impacting diverse faculty.
- Refer diverse faculty when necessary to appropriate university offices for assistance.
- Assist in the college in the search process.
- Inform their college/school of campus programming and initiatives around DEI.
At the request of their Dean, Diversity Advocates may take on additional work such as chairing their school's college's DEI committee or helping to implement their school's or college's DEI plan. Diversity Advocates should work directly with their Dean to ensure that this workload is manageable given the other constraints on the Diversity Advocates' time.