About this course: This course is open to professionals interested in learning more about leadership in higher education for a changing demographic or interested in developing their own leadership skills. The very idea that individuals can be taught to lead is not without its skeptics. Reasonable people, even some scholars in the field, point to the important traits, skills, and attributes that are observed in many visible leaders and contend that certain qualities necessary for effective leadership are not easily transmitted. To accept this premise and conclude that some people are born as natural leaders and others cannot be expected to lead at all is to make a mistake at the other end of the logical spectrum. We believe that leadership can be taught as long as it is concurrently nurtured, that most people possess a constellation of strengths around which they can construct their own leadership philosophy and approach, and that leadership development programming—if done well—can be transformative for organizers and participants. Course Level Objectives: Understand the historical narrative of institutions as well as institutional structures that have created instances of inclusion and exclusion in colleges and universities. Describe how transformational leadership is enacted for diversity, equity, and inclusion in a complex and contested environment. Compare legislative, governance, and public accountability and expectations in relation to contemporary issues in higher education. Analyze the strategic diversity planning process and documents of a selected institution. Recommend innovations and opportunities for transformational change at various levels of the ecological model using the strategic diversity planning process as a tool.
Who is this class for: Higher education leaders who are currently working or interested in issues of diversity, equity and inclusion on college campuses.
Taught by: Dr. John C. Burkhardt , Professor of Clinical Practice, Special Assistant to the Provost for University Engagement
Center for the Study of Post-Secondary Education
| Level | Intermediate |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
- Reading: Module 1 Overview
- Video: Re-envisioning Higher Education Leadership for the 21st Century
- Reading: Help us learn more about you!
- Video: Leading Toward Greater Inclusion, Diversity & Equity In Our Institutions & Society Part 1
- Video: Leading Toward Greater Inclusion, Diversity & Equity In Our Institutions & Society Part 2
- Discussion Prompt: Reflection
- Video: Leadership & The Diversity-Inclusion Paradox
- Video: Leading Towards Equity
- Video: Map Exercise
- Discussion Prompt: Campus Map Labeling Activity
- Video: Our Culture of Creating Knowledge
- Video: Tools for Developing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Video: Past Decisions with Modern Impact
- Video: Defining Knowledge, Tools & Courage
- Reading: Module 2 Overview
- Video: Historical & Structural Roots: The American System of Higher Education
- Reading: Video: Long Beach City College - "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference" - Keynote Speaker: Daryl G. Smith 2012
- Reading: The Drama of Diversity and Democracy: Higher Education and American Commitments
- Reading: Op-Ed: The Missing Students of Color and the Rest of Us
- Reading: Dr. Betty Overton-Adkins
- Video: A Word Regarding HBCUs
- Reading: Video: The history and importance of the HBCU experience
- Video: Institutional Type Leaders in Action: Part I
- Discussion Prompt: Structures of Exclusion
- Video: Knowledge, Tools, Courage
- Reading: Module 3 Overview
- Video: Framing the Conversation: Contested Discourse
- Reading: Video: Dog Whistle Politics
- Reading: Racial Tension and Protests on Campuses Across the Country
- Reading: Have We Learned Anything From the Columbia Rape Case?
- Reading: I Too Am Harvard
- Reading: Undocumented & Unafraid Movement
- Reading: Video: Being Black at UCLA
- Discussion Prompt: Respond to Student Voices
- Reading: Colleges need a language shift, but not the one you think
- Reading: ‘Political correctness’ has become a codeword for hate
- Reading: Module 4 Overview
- Video: Framing the Conversation: Strategic Diversity Planning
- Video: Student Impact: Making Voices Heard
- Video: Introduction to the U-M Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan: Watch from 33:16 to 1:02:50
- Reading: School of Education Strategic Diversity Plan
- Video: University of Michigan Strategic Diversity Plan
- Reading: Enacting Diverse Learning Environments
- Reading: Making Diversity Work on Campus: A Research-Based Perspective
- Reading: Module 5 Overview
- Video: Rethinking Leaders, Leadership & Leadership Development
- Video: Rethinking Leadership through Personal Timelines
- Discussion Prompt: Create Your Personal Timeline Activity
- Reading: Dr. Peter G. Northouse
- Video: A Discussion of Leadership Theory
- Video: Institutional Type Leaders in Action: Part II
- Reading: Video: About the Role of Chief Diversity Officer
- Reading: An Examination of Strategic Diversity Plans and Processes at Select Research Institutions
- Reading: Optional Readings in Diversity and Leadership
- Reading: Post-Course Survey
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
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Excellent course for anyone interested in learning more about diversity, inclusion, and equity in higher education. Course exposes the learner to the histories of exclusion which have shaped the American higher education landscape, how to identify bias of consciousness, and provides the opportunity to articulate what you have obtained by examining a diversity strategic plan. Would recommend not only for those in higher education, but for anyone interest in creating more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces and societies.
The course is stimulating, but the materials can be long-winded; some of the readings are 50+ pages long, and it can be tough to assess which parts are relevant to the assignments and in how much depth to study them. That being said, the course provides excellent readings on diversity, equity, and inclusion and approaches the topic critically, not just from a standpoint of creating new programs, but emphasizing the need for institutional transformation.
Very well organized. Excellent assignments and tools.
It's a great course. Informative and very need for who wants to learn more about issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion and leadership in higher education.