Diversity, equity, inclusion + belonging

The Office of Research is committed to understanding and bettering our efforts to deal with the legacy of systemic racism on our campus, and to creating a welcoming, inclusive and equitable environment for women, LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized groups.

To support this commitment, we're working to coordinate and promote DEIB efforts throughout the research organization — ensuring that best practices and promising initiatives are shared across all our units, including the 11 University Research Centers.

Learn about KU's commitment to an open and inclusive research environment.

DEIB in KU Research Working Group

The Office of Research launched the DEIB in KU Research Working Group in September 2021. Members are faculty and staff who represent KU's University Research Centers, core labs, the Center for Undergraduate Research and the Kansas NSF EPSCoR. The committee's charge includes:

  1. Sharing promising DEIB initiatives and best practices across KU’s research organization.  

  1. Identifying barriers to DEIB in KU’s research environment (both research administration and research conduct).  

  1. Devising solutions and collaborating on and/or recommending initiatives that start to address identified barriers, including how the Office of Research can broker/assist/support.  

  1. Helping coordinate campus-wide DEIB efforts throughout the research community, such as strategies that arise through Jayhawks Rising, KU’s evolving strategic plan.  
     



KU Research Staff DEIB Committee

The Office of Research launched the KU Research Staff DEIB Committee in June 2020. The committee's charge includes:

  • Developing a solid understanding of current DEIB infrastructure, efforts and goals at KU to determine how the Office of Research and broader research community can align itself and plug into existing initiatives and identify gaps where further work might benefit the Office of Research and other units.  
     
  • Creating safe opportunities for employees to provide feedback to leadership about organizational climate and culture, and proposing strategies for how to improve conditions and assess progress.  
     
  • Crafting DEIB mission, vision, values and goals for the Office of Research to help create and sustain a culture where considerations of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging permeate every aspect of our work.  
     
  • Creating and/or promoting educational or professional development opportunities to facilitate employee engagement and understanding of equity, social justice and inclusion.

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