Colleagues sit in a circle and converse.

Building High-Level Buy-In and Support

The success of a DEI Strategic Plan depends on the ability of planners and campus leaders to generate and sustain broad-based support within the campus community: from the executive ranks and departmental leadership to faculty, students and staff.

Building High-Level Buy-in and Support
A group of colleagues have a discussion on stage

Organizing and Implementing a Strategic Plan

Guiding the development of a strategic plan for diversity, equity and inclusion—and orchestrating the implementation of that plan for a college campus—is a major endeavor and a daunting task.

Organizing and Implementing a Strategic Plan
Two people laugh while having a conversation

Creating Leadership Roles and Structures

Successful implementation of a DEI plan requires the activation of “point leadership” at various levels of the institution.

Creating Leadership Roles and Structures
A group of people hold hands and dance in a circle.

Engaging in Your Community

What does it mean to engage your community? Addressing this question is a critical step in your DEI strategic plan and implementation process.

Engaging in Your Community
Tabbye Chavous makes descriptive hand gestures while explaining a topic.

Communicating Why We Work on DEI

Communication is essential at every stage of the planning and implementation process.

Communicating Why We Work on DEI
A woman explains something to a man working on a computer.

Budget Planning and Process

Budgets are a crucial component of all departments and operations, and enable the institution to achieve its goals and mission.

Budget Planning & Process
A stack of branded handouts

Marketing and Communications

The University of Michigan’s decision to involve every unit in addressing DEI is based on the understanding that effective culture change requires an ongoing commitment throughout the organization.

Marketing and Communications
A large audience listens to a presentation in a conference room.

Developing a DEI Strategic Plan Launch and Anchoring Event

Engaging a campus – of any size, no less a large, decentralized campus – in a DEI Strategic Plan and Implementation process is a significant, multi-year endeavor.

Developing a DEI Strategic Plan Launch and Anchoring Event
A group of people review documents.

Evaluation and Assessment

To ensure accountability and transparency and to support evidence-based decision making, the U-M Five-Year DEI Strategic Plan calls for systems to track metrics assessing progress towards stated strategic objectives.

Evaluation and Assessment
The University of Michigan Law Quad

Legal Issues for Planning and Implementation

It’s critical to interact with your university’s legal counsel early on, as an integral part of the team for both planning and implementation.

Legal Issues for Planning and Implementation