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Does Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Include Everyone? A Phenomenological Case Study of Underrepresented Minority Professional Staff in Higher Education
The proportion of professional staff on higher education campuses has significantly grown in recent decades. Despite this growth, the racial makeup of this employee population still does not reflect the increasing diversity of students in higher education. While higher education institutions pronounce their commitments to developing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices among their campuses, very little research has focused on the individuals carrying out those institutional commitments: professional staff. Even more problematic is that many DEI efforts fail to be inclusive of professional staff. Much of the focus of these efforts primarily revolves around students. The purpose of my study was to explore if, and how, institutional DEI efforts impact the experiences of underrepresented minority (URM) professional staff and influence their retention as employees. This study specifically asked the research questions: “Are higher education institutions inclusive of URM staff in their campus’ DEI efforts? How?” and “Do institutional DEI efforts promote or hinder URM staff retention?” with the aim to address a void in current research regarding retention of URM professional staff in higher education institutions. Data for this phenomenological case study was collected through a dual-method approach consisting of a document analysis of institutional artifacts outlining DEI efforts and semi-structured interviews with 17 URM staff members of a higher education campus. Findings from the research present that despite staff being included in the institutional documents addressing DEI goals, the perceptions and experiences shared by URM professional staff in this study indicate a less than welcoming and supportive environment that hindered URM staff retention. Four themes were presented based on the study’s findings that discuss a climate of symbolic inclusion, recruitment and retention, lack of communication and responsibility of campus DEI efforts. Key recommendations constructed from the findings indicate the need to establish broader organizational beliefs, define what a welcoming and supportive environment is, implement of a two-way communication plan, along with several other recommendations.Keywords: Underrepresented minority (URM), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), professional staff, recruitment, retentio