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

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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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