Moving Towards an Anti-Racist Framework in Senior Leadership Retreat

 
UConn
Senior Leadership Retreat
Anti-Racist Policy and Practices
 
25 JANUARY 2021
Jeffrey Ogbar, Jim Wohl, Donna Douglass Williams, Frank Tuitt
Facilitators
 
MOVING FROM DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TO AN
ANTI-RACISM FRAMEWORK
 
1) 
Moving from understanding and acknowledging racism, to 
actively dismantling 
the effects and
vestiges of racism and white supremacy in institutional 
policies, systems, and structures.  
What
interventions
 accomplish this? How do we 
activate
 our institution towards 
anti-racism
?  What is
the action plan of the senior leaders?
 
2) From looking at recruiting and hiring more faculty, students, staff of color to paying equal
attention to their experiences in the institution.  
What are the hidden effects of
policies/structures/practices that are racist and/or have a disparate impact on persons of color?
Do persons of color they feel supported?  Is our institutional  culture one that supports their
success? Are they in decision making positions? Do they have, and believe they have power?  Do
we have a culture of anti-racism? Are we acknowledging racial hierarchy and intersectionality?
(“Trauma-free Blackness”)
 
 
MOVING FROM DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TO AN
ANTI-RACISM FRAMEWORK
 
3) 
Moving from a relative neutrality around issues of race and racism to more
radical approaches.
  Do we need a 
“radical revolution” 
of the university’s values?
Activating the power and authority of the leadership to assess how we embody
those values and insisting that our actions reflect an 
aggressive anti-racism approach
( “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the
oppressor.”  ~ Desmond Tutu)
 
4) Moving from training and development of managers and leaders centered on
appreciation of multiculturalism to 
training centered on anti-racism (what is is, how
to be an anti-racist institution)
 
MOVING FROM DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TO AN
ANTI-RACISM FRAMEWORK
 
5) 
Resisting “gradual equality,” 
and insisting upon 
immediate equality 
in the
institution
6) 
Intentions vs. Outcomes 
– Moving from admiring our well-intentioned
approaches to a 
focus on our actual outcomes
.  What outcomes related to equity
and equality do we insist upon? How do we measure our success? By what process
do we set our goals against which we measure our success?
7) Moving from centering our approaches on consensus and order, to a 
focus on
racial and social justice
 
VALUES AND SUGGESTED GROUND RULES
 
Open-mindedness
Curiosity
Respect diversity of perspectives and experiences
Deep listening
Full engagement
Speak from first person perspective
Lean into discomfort (asking questions/listening for understanding)
Chatham House rules
Phones/devices/sounds
Tech engagement (mute, chat, hand raise function, breakout rooms, private message)
 
CASE STUDY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
 
How does the shift from diversity focused to an anti-racist framework inform
your response to this case?
In what ways are your responses different from before?
What aspects of university culture, policies, and practices need to be addressed
in order to align our responses to this scenario with an anti-racist framework?
What is the responsibility of this senior leadership team in leading UConn to
become an anti-racist institution?
 
 
 
CASE STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(Nov retreat)
 
What would you consider to be the most challenging issues in this scenario?
In considering developing an appropriate response, what additional information is needed? What
stakeholders should be consulted?
Are there institutional barriers/limitations that would impact the response in this scenario? What
support/action/training/mechanisms are needed to strengthen the institution’s capacity and
readiness to respond to this kind of scenario?
 As part of a leadership task force to develop appropriate response and make decisions about
action, what advice would you offer?
 If this happened in your college/division/unit, how would you lead your managers, faculty and staff
in a coordinated response to this situation?
 
 
COMMITMENT AND ACTION
 
How to we embody and enact our commitment to antiracist leadership?
 
What are we willing to put into action as UConn leaders to demonstrate
anti-racist leadership?
 
What must be acknowledged about the culture of the institution in order
to move towards becoming an anti-racist institution?
 
STOP/START/CONTINUE EXERCISE
KEY THEMES
 
Communication
Leadership and Accountability
Recruitment, Climate and Retention
Training and Development
Strategic Planning and Resource Development
 
STOP
(COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY)
 
Stop using platitudes and metaphors and call out white supremacy
Stop localizing the work of DEI as the responsibility of a specific set of
individuals
Stop washing our hands of complaints when University officials fail to find
violations of institutional policies
Stop letting microaggressions go; addressing them appropriately
 
STOP
(RECRUITMENT/RETENTION AND TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT)
 
Stop using racist and sexist habits/practices in hiring
Stop considering diversity after determining excellence
Stop lack of support for new hires (retention is not a current focus)
Stop making excuses for not finding a diverse candidate pool
Stop asking BIPOC employees to education white employees
Stop lack of institutional programming to support management in order
for them to succeed
 
START
(COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY)
 
Start to become more honest and transparent about UConn’s colonial
history
Start- charge someone with curating consistent communication and
getting that consistent, reinforcing messaging to the whole community
Start to engage members of our community proactively rather than
reactively in confronting racism
Start to put efforts towards anti-racism instead of being “not racist”
 
START
(COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY)
 
Start communicating in a manner that shows all members of the
community that we care about them
Start holding ourselves accountable
Start collecting data that allows us to assess which existing policies and
procedures have a racially disparate impact
Start reclaiming the University’s role as an engine for the public good that
works with state communities to co-create a sustainable, just, and equitable
society
 
START
(RECRUITMENT/RETENTION/TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT)
 
Start being deliberate in hiring decisions
Start hiring staff and faculty of color until those numbers reflect our student
and state populations
Start comprehensive and compulsory faculty and staff professional
development
Start conversations with middle management on what it means to be anti-
racist and how to become involved
Evolve training for staff beyond laws and establish foundation for anti-racism
 
START
STRATEGIC PLANNING AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
 
Launch a capital campaign with targeted fundraising goals that support
becoming a leading anti-racist university
Start to bolster support for underrepresented students
Start to expand financial support for students facing food insecurity
Support individual unit efforts to address DEI issues within their own
communities in ways that are responsive to the needs of their particular
community
 
START
 
Make Board of Trustees more diverse
Start a leadership development program for young entry level people of color in order to
provide opportunities, develop, train, and mentor our own, which would increase the pipeline
over time for diversifying our workforce
Create a part of UConn Today that is focused on anti-racism; curate information and keep it
in the public eye
More conversations: people need to talk with each other about racism and anti-racism as a
first step towards change; the university should provide the means for those conversations to
take place formally and informally.  Initiate diverse conversations; expose the myths
View Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a strategic initiative; elevate issues of inclusions and
belonging so that our efforts are more focused on retention and belonging
 
CONTINUE
(COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY)
 
Continue to have difficult conversations around the tension between the values
academic freedom/free speech and the need to be more attentive to explicit and
implicit acts of racial aggression
Continue calling out white supremacy
Continue to call out mistreatments in the learning environment due to bias and
discrimination
Continue to change culture to eliminate racism
Continue to separate enforcement of DEI issues (e.g. OIE, Community Standards)
from building a culture of respect and inclusion (e.g. ODI)
 
CONTINUE
TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT AND
STRATEGIC PLANNING/RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
 
Continue the conversation about anti-racist ideas and actions with senior
leadership
Continue to raise people up, encourage them to participate, lead, engage
and coach each other along the way
Continue to support ODI as a centralized resource for expertise and
advice for units across campus in additional to serving as a voice for anti-
racism across the University
 
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
 
What steps need to be taken to implement some of these key themes?
 
What are some of the challenges for this leadership group in
implementing these key themes?
 
How could we overcome some of these challenges?
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This session focuses on transitioning from acknowledging racism to actively dismantling it in institutional policies and structures. Key areas include recruiting diverse faculty, fostering a culture of anti-racism, and emphasizing immediate equality. Participants are urged to center values of racial and social justice, assess outcomes over intentions, and engage in deep, respectful dialogue. Ground rules emphasize open-mindedness, curiosity, and full engagement.


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  1. UConn Senior Leadership Retreat Anti-Racist Policy and Practices 25 JANUARY 2021 Jeffrey Ogbar, Jim Wohl, Donna Douglass Williams, Frank Tuitt Facilitators

  2. MOVING FROM DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TO AN ANTI-RACISM FRAMEWORK 1) Moving from understanding and acknowledging racism, to actively dismantling the effects and vestiges of racism and white supremacy in institutional policies, systems, and structures. What interventions accomplish this? How do we activate our institution towards anti-racism? What is the action plan of the senior leaders? 2) From looking at recruiting and hiring more faculty, students, staff of color to paying equal attention to their experiences in the institution. What are the hidden effects of policies/structures/practices that are racist and/or have a disparate impact on persons of color? Do persons of color they feel supported? Is our institutional culture one that supports their success? Are they in decision making positions? Do they have, and believe they have power? Do we have a culture of anti-racism? Are we acknowledging racial hierarchy and intersectionality? ( Trauma-free Blackness )

  3. MOVING FROM DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TO AN ANTI-RACISM FRAMEWORK 3) Moving from a relative neutrality around issues of race and racism to more radical approaches. Do we need a radical revolution of the university s values? Activating the power and authority of the leadership to assess how we embody those values and insisting that our actions reflect an aggressive anti-racism approach ( If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. ~ Desmond Tutu) 4) Moving from training and development of managers and leaders centered on appreciation of multiculturalism to training centered on anti-racism (what is is, how to be an anti-racist institution)

  4. MOVING FROM DIVERSITY/INCLUSION TO AN ANTI-RACISM FRAMEWORK 5) Resisting gradual equality, and insisting upon immediate equality in the institution 6) Intentions vs. Outcomes Moving from admiring our well-intentioned approaches to a focus on our actual outcomes. What outcomes related to equity and equality do we insist upon? How do we measure our success? By what process do we set our goals against which we measure our success? 7) Moving from centering our approaches on consensus and order, to a focus on racial and social justice

  5. VALUES AND SUGGESTED GROUND RULES Open-mindedness Curiosity Respect diversity of perspectives and experiences Deep listening Full engagement Speak from first person perspective Lean into discomfort (asking questions/listening for understanding) Chatham House rules Phones/devices/sounds Tech engagement (mute, chat, hand raise function, breakout rooms, private message)

  6. CASE STUDY QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: How does the shift from diversity focused to an anti-racist framework inform your response to this case? In what ways are your responses different from before? What aspects of university culture, policies, and practices need to be addressed in order to align our responses to this scenario with an anti-racist framework? What is the responsibility of this senior leadership team in leading UConn to become an anti-racist institution?

  7. CASE STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (Nov retreat) What would you consider to be the most challenging issues in this scenario? In considering developing an appropriate response, what additional information is needed? What stakeholders should be consulted? Are there institutional barriers/limitations that would impact the response in this scenario? What support/action/training/mechanisms are needed to strengthen the institution s capacity and readiness to respond to this kind of scenario? As part of a leadership task force to develop appropriate response and make decisions about action, what advice would you offer? If this happened in your college/division/unit, how would you lead your managers, faculty and staff in a coordinated response to this situation?

  8. COMMITMENT AND ACTION How to we embody and enact our commitment to antiracist leadership? What are we willing to put into action as UConn leaders to demonstrate anti-racist leadership? What must be acknowledged about the culture of the institution in order to move towards becoming an anti-racist institution?

  9. STOP/START/CONTINUE EXERCISE KEY THEMES Communication Leadership and Accountability Recruitment, Climate and Retention Training and Development Strategic Planning and Resource Development

  10. STOP (COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY) Stop using platitudes and metaphors and call out white supremacy Stop localizing the work of DEI as the responsibility of a specific set of individuals Stop washing our hands of complaints when University officials fail to find violations of institutional policies Stop letting microaggressions go; addressing them appropriately

  11. STOP (RECRUITMENT/RETENTION AND TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT) Stop using racist and sexist habits/practices in hiring Stop considering diversity after determining excellence Stop lack of support for new hires (retention is not a current focus) Stop making excuses for not finding a diverse candidate pool Stop asking BIPOC employees to education white employees Stop lack of institutional programming to support management in order for them to succeed

  12. START (COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY) Start to become more honest and transparent about UConn s colonial history Start- charge someone with curating consistent communication and getting that consistent, reinforcing messaging to the whole community Start to engage members of our community proactively rather than reactively in confronting racism Start to put efforts towards anti-racism instead of being not racist

  13. START (COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY) Start communicating in a manner that shows all members of the community that we care about them Start holding ourselves accountable Start collecting data that allows us to assess which existing policies and procedures have a racially disparate impact Start reclaiming the University s role as an engine for the public good that works with state communities to co-create a sustainable, just, and equitable society

  14. START (RECRUITMENT/RETENTION/TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT) Start being deliberate in hiring decisions Start hiring staff and faculty of color until those numbers reflect our student and state populations Start comprehensive and compulsory faculty and staff professional development Start conversations with middle management on what it means to be anti- racist and how to become involved Evolve training for staff beyond laws and establish foundation for anti-racism

  15. START STRATEGIC PLANNING AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Launch a capital campaign with targeted fundraising goals that support becoming a leading anti-racist university Start to bolster support for underrepresented students Start to expand financial support for students facing food insecurity Support individual unit efforts to address DEI issues within their own communities in ways that are responsive to the needs of their particular community

  16. START Make Board of Trustees more diverse Start a leadership development program for young entry level people of color in order to provide opportunities, develop, train, and mentor our own, which would increase the pipeline over time for diversifying our workforce Create a part of UConn Today that is focused on anti-racism; curate information and keep it in the public eye More conversations: people need to talk with each other about racism and anti-racism as a first step towards change; the university should provide the means for those conversations to take place formally and informally. Initiate diverse conversations; expose the myths View Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a strategic initiative; elevate issues of inclusions and belonging so that our efforts are more focused on retention and belonging

  17. CONTINUE (COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY) Continue to have difficult conversations around the tension between the values academic freedom/free speech and the need to be more attentive to explicit and implicit acts of racial aggression Continue calling out white supremacy Continue to call out mistreatments in the learning environment due to bias and discrimination Continue to change culture to eliminate racism Continue to separate enforcement of DEI issues (e.g. OIE, Community Standards) from building a culture of respect and inclusion (e.g. ODI)

  18. CONTINUE TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING/RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Continue the conversation about anti-racist ideas and actions with senior leadership Continue to raise people up, encourage them to participate, lead, engage and coach each other along the way Continue to support ODI as a centralized resource for expertise and advice for units across campus in additional to serving as a voice for anti- racism across the University

  19. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: What steps need to be taken to implement some of these key themes? What are some of the challenges for this leadership group in implementing these key themes? How could we overcome some of these challenges?

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