Building a DEI Strategy That Lasts: Designing for Systemic Change at Greenfield University

Greenfield University is a 4,200-student regional public university. Its DEI office, established in 2018, has a staff of four, a $300K annual budget, and runs programming including cultural celebrations, implicit bias training, and a faculty diversity hiring program. The most recent NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) data shows a 24-point gap in sense of belonging between white students and students of color. Faculty of color represent 11% of tenure-track positions despite comprising 28% of lecturer appointments. The DEI office focuses primarily on programming and education. It has no formal authority over hiring, curriculum, student discipline, or resource allocation. The President is facing pressure from the Board of Trustees, a faculty senate resolution demanding systemic action, and a student coalition that has issued 14 demands. He has three months before the Board meeting.

Key Stakeholders

President Harold Washington

University President

Dr. Carmen Rivera

Vice President for DEI

Professor James Oduya

Faculty Senate DEI Committee Chair

Amara Diallo

Student Coalition Lead

Learning Objectives

• Apply a systems change framework to DEI strategy design in an institutional context
• Distinguish between DEI programming (events, training) and structural change (policy, authority, resources)
• Analyze the organizational conditions that limit DEI office effectiveness
• Design a credible, time-bound action plan that addresses structural barriers across multiple domains
• Manage competing stakeholder urgencies while maintaining strategic coherence