The UNC Policy Manual
300.8.5[R]
Adopted 09/25/19
Technical Corrections 09/29/21
I. Purpose. This
regulation outlines specific requirements and procedures related to the implementation
of Section 300.8.5 of the UNC Policy Manual, Policy on Diversity and
Inclusion Within the University of North Carolina (the policy). This
includes the definition of roles and responsibilities and sets forth procedures
related to the oversight of D&I activities and related reporting to monitor
the effectiveness of these efforts.
II. System Office
D&I Liaison. The president shall
designate a senior officer[1] at the UNC System Office (System
Office) who shall serve as the System Office D&I Liaison (Liaison). The
Liaison shall, at a minimum:
A. Act
as the primary point of contact at the System Office for D&I-related
inquiries, including inquiries from the constituent institutions and the Board
of Governors;
B. Serve
as the System Office representative and liaison to the system-wide D&I
Council and perform those functions as further described in section V, below;
C. Facilitate
the aggregation and comparative analysis of D&I-related data and
information reported annually by each constituent institution to the president
and the Board of Governors;
D. Coordinate
the administration of the policy and its various requirements; and
E. Coordinate
D&I efforts and programs directed at serving System Office staff.
The Liaison’s
responsibilities may be carried out by an existing senior officer at the System
Office or by a newly created role, at the discretion of the president.
III. Institutional
D&I Officer
A. Each
constituent institution’s chancellor shall designate a senior-level
administrator as its D&I Officer who shall, at a minimum:
1. Assist
the chancellor in policy development and strategic planning to promote and
advance D&I;
2. Oversee
the development of D&I strategy and the definition of D&I goals and
performance measures specific to the institution and its community;
3. Ensure
production of required reports on the progress and outcomes of the institution’s
D&I operations, programs, and activities;
4. Advise
on training, outreach, educational programs, and other strategies for students,
faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to promote and advance diversity and
inclusion throughout all levels and areas of the institution;
5. Be
available to make presentations and to participate in meetings with employees
or students, and their representative groups, as well as community
organizations and other members of the general public;
6. Support
the development of D&I-related campus communications;
7. Ensure
ease of access to D&I-related information by members of the institution’s
community, as appropriate;
8. Serve
as the institutional representative on the D&I Council; and
9. Seek
out personal opportunities for ongoing professional training to remain current with
industry trends and leading practices in the rapidly evolving D&I field.
B. These
responsibilities shall be performed in collaboration with the institution’s EO
Officer and in alignment with the institution’s Affirmative Action Plans and
other EO-related policies, programs and activities. Efforts shall be
coordinated where possible.
C. The
appointed D&I Officer shall have or be required to develop directly
relevant experience in: designing and implementing D&I strategies, plans,
and programs, preferably within higher education; facilitating effective
relationships across diverse constituencies; defining metrics and analyzing
quantitative and qualitative indicators of success; building mutual
understanding among diverse sets of stakeholders; managing change and
communicating effectively; and developing training plans and delivering
training.
D. The
reporting relationship of this role, and whether this is an existing or newly
created position, is at the discretion of the institution’s chancellor.
E. When
deemed appropriate by the respective chancellors, this role may be shared among
constituent institutions to promote enhanced efficiency.
IV. Institutional
Inclusion Executive
A.
Each
constituent institution’s chancellor shall designate a single senior-level administrator
as the institution’s Inclusion Executive. As appropriate, the Inclusion
Executive, the D&I Officer, and/or the EO Officer roles may be assigned to
the same position or to different positions. The Inclusion Executive shall, at
a minimum:
1. Provide
oversight on behalf of the chancellor to ensure that the activities of both the
institution’s EO and D&I functions are coordinated and executed in a
complementary and efficient manner and that goal-setting and resource
allocation is tied to the achievement of measurable outcomes;
2. Facilitate
communication and coordination among various divisions, departments, and
constituents within the institution that have EO and D&I responsibilities;
3. In
conjunction with the institution’s D&I Officer, ensure that D&I program
standards and quality assurance activities are carried out as outlined in section
VIII of this regulation, and;
4. Participate
in institution-level EO and D&I-related councils or committees to ensure
connection and knowledge-sharing between EO and D&I initiatives.
B. The
reporting relationship of this role is at the discretion of the institution’s
chancellor. This role may or may not directly supervise the individual EO
and/or D&I function, but shall be assigned the executive oversight duties
as described above.
V. Establishment
and Responsibilities of a UNC System D&I Council
A. The
president or president’s designee shall establish a D&I Council comprising
the D&I Officers from each of the 17 constituent institutions, the System
Office D&I Liaison, and representatives of other constituencies to be
determined by the council in consultation with the president or president’s
designee.
B. The
council shall be an advisory body for the University System with general
assistance from the System Office. It shall be headed by a chair elected for a
two-year term by a majority vote of D&I Council peers and approved by the
president or president’s designee.
C. The
council shall develop its charge, subject to approval by the president. Any
subsequent updates or proposed changes to the council’s work shall also be
subject to approval by the president or president’s designee.
D. The
council, in consultation with relevant officials of each constituent
institution, shall be responsible for developing for the president’s approval System-wide
D&I metrics as well as standardized formats for reporting of D&I
information to the System Office.
E. The
council members shall collaborate on programming where feasible, make recommendations
to the president or president’s designee on any System-wide training
requirements, and explore master agreements for relevant external vendor
products/training solutions with general assistance from the System Office.
F. The
council shall facilitate the sharing of knowledge and D&I best practices,
collaborative problem-solving, and interactions between institutions and with
the System Office.
G. The
D&I Council shall recommend to the president or president’s designee
through the System Office D&I Liaison any potential revisions to the
University’s D&I policy and/or regulation as well as the creation or
modification of measurement methods for D&I goals and metrics.
VI. Defining
System-Wide D&I Metrics and Goals
A. Metrics.
The D&I Council shall develop for the president’s approval three to five System-wide
annualized D&I metrics. Core statistical information that may be considered
in the development of these metrics includes, but is not limited to: student,
faculty, and staff demographics; academic achievement gaps; graduation and
persistence rates; recruitment and retention of students, faculty, and staff;
and campus climate assessments on diversity and inclusion based on
institution-level or System-wide surveys.
B. Goals.
In addition to the System-wide D&I metrics, the D&I Officer at each
constituent institution shall, in collaboration with appropriate stakeholders,
develop D&I goals and metrics specific to the institution and its
community. As part of this process, it is the University’s expectation that the
D&I Officer actively seek input on an annual basis from the constituent
institution’s board of trustees as well as appropriate faculty, staff, and
student governance organizations, on all proposed D&I goals and metrics.
VIII. D&I Program
Standards and Quality Assurance. The institutional D&I Officer and the
institutional Inclusion Executive shall together be responsible for
establishing a process to ensure that feedback is collected from participants
in D&I programs and that participants are informed of the appropriate
institutional point of contact to address questions or concerns regarding
D&I policies or programs. This shall include ensuring that all programs
conform to all relevant University policies, regulations, and standards.
IX. Reporting to the
Boards of Trustees. The constituent
institution, through its chancellor, D&I Officer, or other chancellor’s
designee, shall provide a report at least annually to the institution’s board
of trustees, which, at a minimum, shall include the following:
A.
The
impact of the institution’s D&I programs and activities with respect to System-wide
D&I metrics and institutional
D&I goals;
B.
The
number of positions and FTEs with D&I responsibilities, indicating the
percentage of
each associated with D&I
responsibilities;
C.
An
accounting of institutional budget expended on D&I operations and
activities, broken out by personnel and non-personnel costs and by funding
source (e.g., state funded versus other funded); and
D.
A
list of signature D&I programs that serve a critical role in helping the
constituent institution accomplish its learning and D&I objectives, along
with their purpose and any data on outcomes, including relevant participant
feedback.
X. Reporting to
the System Office. Each constituent institution shall provide to the System
Office, upon request of the president or president’s designee, relevant
information regarding D&I operations, programs, and activities of the
constituent institution. These items shall be reported in a format recommended
by the D&I Council and approved by the president or president’s designee.
Such information, at a minimum, shall include the items described in section
IX., subsections A., through D., above.
XI. Reporting to the
Board of Governors Committee on University Personnel. No later than every 24 months, or sooner at
the request of the committee chair, the president or president’s designee shall
provide an update to the Committee on University Personnel regarding the D&I
activities of the constituent institutions.
XII. Opportunities
for Dissemination of D&I Policies and Information
A. Information
for Students. Constituent institutions shall include in student orientation
programs, and periodically provide to students in printed and/or electronic
form (e.g., web sites), information describing their institutional policies
regarding D&I consistent with this policy. Any information provided should
include the name and contact information of the institutional officer, office,
or department with responsibility for ensuring compliance with the policy and
for answering any related questions or concerns.
B. Information
for Faculty and Staff. Constituent institutions shall include in new hire
onboarding, and periodically provide to faculty and staff in printed and/or
electronic form (e.g., web sites), information describing their institutional
policies regarding D&I consistent with this policy. Any information
provided should include the name and contact information of the institutional
officer, office, or department with responsibility for ensuring compliance with
the policy and for answering any related questions or concerns.
XIII. Other Matters
A.
Effective Date. The requirements of this regulation shall be
effective on the date of adoption of this regulation by the president.
B.
Relation to State Laws. The foregoing regulation as adopted
by the president is meant to supplement, and does not purport to supplant or
modify, those statutory enactments, regulations, and policies which may govern the
activities of public officials.
C. Relation to Other University Regulations and Policies. The foregoing regulation as adopted by the president is meant to supplement, and does not purport to supplant or modify, other University policies, regulations, and guidelines related to equal opportunity, free speech, and free expression.