Engaged Community: Foster a culture of full participation, shared responsibility, and high engagement in diversity and inclusion for all members of our community

On this page:

• Goals and Action Steps

• Progress

Goals and Action Steps:

Goal: Foster a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative environment across Harris staff departments and at all levels of management

• Provide diversity and inclusion training for all staff, including Harris senior leadership

• Enhance the community's knowledge of the process for reporting and addressing issues of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct

• Provide staff resources to deepen understanding of diversity and inclusion issues and opportunities. Develop tools to promote effective discussions of D&I issues

• Develop a survey to capture staff input and improvement on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and Harris climate

Goal: Recognize, reward, and support staff

• Review Harris HR practices for opportunities to incorporate recognition and rewards for staff advancing best practices at Harris

• Augment strategies for developing staff career pipelines, professional development, career mentoring

Goal: Foster opportunities for the greater Harris community, including alumni, to get involved with Harris diversity and inclusion initiatives

• Create a system to solicit regular input from the alumni community on Harris’ diversity and inclusion efforts, in consultation with the Harris Council and Harris Alumni Council

• Build a cohesive, virtual network to better connect underrepresented students with alumni, leveraging existing resources such as Harris Alumni Connect

• Increase outreach to underrepresented alumni regarding opportunities for lectures or speaking engagements, mentoring students, nominating alumni for awards, or attending events

• Create a resource tool with information on mentors, alumni, and other subject matter experts within the Harris community who work in diversity and inclusion

• Increase Harris' involvement in civic engagement activities in Hyde Park and surrounding communities

• Support and engage the Alumni Council in active planning for diversity and inclusion events and initiatives

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Progress

What We’ve Done

• Conducted D&I training with Harris Senior Leadership 

• Conducted implicit bias training for Harris staff 

• Established Harris Alumni Council's D&I Task Force  

• Established SMART Museum partnership 

• Created opportunities through Policy Labs for students to partner with several local non-profits in the Chicagoland area that are committed to strengthening low-income communities of color

• Hosted staff-focused events around diversity and cultural awareness 

• Invited alumni and mentors to participate in Mentor Panel on diversity

• Held annual staff diversity awards

• Held staff diversity roundtable discussion

What’s Next

• Holding racial literacy training for Harris communications and marketing staff 

• Revising nomination processes for all Harris-sponsored diversity awards, including Harris Accolades

• Organizing Harris Bookclub that will focus on literature and professional learning opportunities related to diversity and inclusion

• Developing outreach strategy to engage alumni in D&I efforts 

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