Diversity Statements

Dr. Eleni Bozia, University of Florida

Dr. Bozia’s slides are available here.

Some topics discussed include introducing your context (past and present), your vision (teaching, research, service), and making a customized plan.

Presentation by Dr. Eleni Bozia on Diversity Statements

Important terms:

• DEI: diversity, equity, inclusion.

• DEIJ: diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

What is a diversity statement?

• The diversity statement is often unclear. Sometimes it is interpreted as working on diversity in the ancient world, and sometimes, it can be referred to as one’s identity. Try to strike a balance between diversity as an identity and what you do in your present work.

• Be honest, but don’t force anything. Don’t change your research agenda (or yourself!) to fit expectations or trends within current discourse - the search committee will know! If they don’t like you, you don’t want to work there! 

Guiding principles: 

• The diversity statement is personal, but it must also be effective.

• It is not less important than other aspects of the application. Even if a diversity statement is not required, you can include aspects of it in another statement (e.g., teaching statement). 

• It can feel more political, which can be intimidating. Overcome your inner obstacles and fears. Be professional and open to discussions about diversity and your own positionality. While you are encouraged to share your personal story, you are not obliged to do so. Be honest and straight-forward, and own your privilege if you have it. Use the statement as an opportunity to be an ally, by showcasing your commitment to DEI(J) and the ways that you will help effect change if selected for the position. DEI(J) is a structural issue, so it is the responsibility of everyone!

• Do your homework. Is there already a DEI committee? Get to know the institution, the people, and the supports currently available, or lack thereof. 

• Consider all that DEI(J) entails. Avoid cliches and false parallels (e.g., Individual from Syria vs. New Yorker living in Florida). There are various online resources available (see additional resources below) to assist you in this endeavor, but don’t expect anyone to educate you; this typically falls to those who already shoulder a high burden of inequity in their day-to-day lives. If you do approach a traditionally underrepresented and/or marginalized individual, ensure that you are well-prepared to engage in a conversation. Listen more than talk, particularly if you have privilege. Always lead with respect and remember that just as there is no “one-size-fits-all” for diversity statements, there also isn’t one for individuals from populations affected by inequity.

• Be prepared for objections. Someone may not be interested in DEI(J) nor believe that your ideas are accomplishable. Be prepared to respectfully address said objections by stating facts and numbers (see “Be concrete” and beyond!).

• Be concrete: Cite statistics that showcase the problems related to lack of diversity and underrepresentation, then follow with information on success rates. Numbers talk!

• Be positive and realistic. Be positive that things can change but realistic about the work that must be done. 

• Be a visionary and a dreamer. “You are entitled to want things to be better, you are entitled to want to try, you are entitled to hope” (Bozia).

General framework of the diversity statement:

1. Provide past and present context

   • Define DEI. Diversity has many faces (e.g., race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, religion). It can also be specific to the field (e.g., underrepresentation). Be careful of phrasing, but don’t be afraid to call things by their names.

   • State what DEI means to you. Everyone has an opinion and feelings. Sound genuine, avoid cliches, and be professional.

   • Explain your commitment and clarify why. Show how you will demonstrate DEI in the position. This is where you can speak about your personal story if you feel comfortable. You can also cite statistics, studies, and research.

   • Talk about what you have done so far to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the classroom, extra-curricular and/or professional activities, the community, and your research (if applicable). If you haven’t yet, don’t despair; focus on your vision instead!

   2. Describe your vision

   • Describe your vision to actualize and incorporate DEI(J) within your teaching, research (if applicable), and service/professional life.

   • Teaching: be creative and tie in sample syllabi. 

     • Explore: Pedagogical techniques, course content, course development, courses co-taught with other departments/centers (e.g., African Studies), accessibility (e.g., office hours online and in-person). 

     • Bibliography: Move beyond the traditional and well-known to explore more representation in who you’re asking the students to read.

     • Content: Include different topics (e.g., slavery), other civilizations and histories beyond the canon, and the way different individuals and groups of people are/were affected by the evolution of the field.

   • Research: consider how your teaching can be more inclusive (e.g., bibliography).

   • Service/Professional life: illustrate how you will incorporate DEI into the department, the college, the university, and the field.

     • Service: Design new committees/programs (e.g., establish DEI departmental committee – do your homework!) and show willingness to participate in established programs. 

     • Mentorship: Tailor mentorship to your stage of career (e.g., Assistant Profs mentor students, Associate or Full Profs mentor junior colleagues).

     • Professional life: Get involved (e.g., SCS, journal editorial boards, conference committees, McNair Scholars program).

   3. Make a customized plan and know your audience

   • Customize your plan based on the university/department/college you’re applying to. Research their demographics and create a plan based on the type of students they have. This means finding ways to support the existing cohort and to encourage diversification of the student body.

   • Be relevant. Explore their pre-existing programs. Don’t look ignorant or try to reinvent the wheel; show that you will either contribute to what’s there or build something new. 

   • Look into the state’s status quo and be realistic. Universities are beacons of freedom of speech, but we also live in certain milieus. You must understand both to deliver your message effectively. In the interview, be prepared to field questions specific to the state and the institution. 

Teaching Statements

Dr. Lauren Donovan Ginsberg, Duke University

Dr. Ginsberg’s slides are available here.

Some topics discussed include how to create a teaching statement that’s a (1) memorable (2) picture of you (3) inside the classroom (4) actively interacting with students, including specifics about length, structure, and tips for drafting.

Presentation by Dr. Lauren Donovan Ginsberg on teaching statements

The goal of the teaching statement:

• The goal of the Teaching Statement is to create a memorable picture of you inside the classroom actively interacting with students. The committee must be able to imagine you on the job teaching real students.

Committees want to know that you…

• Take teaching seriously

• Can hit the ground running

• Reflect on your practice and are open to change 

• Create engaged classrooms, where students want to be learning

Convey these traits through the following:

• Use specific, memorable, and well-articulated examples (e.g., What activities do you do? How do you structure time? What techniques do you use to actively engage with real people during class time?). Resist the urge to generalize.

• Consider how you evaluate your own success and adapt to challenges. You are never done becoming a better teacher!

• Illustrate the breadth of your experience (e.g., topics, gen introduction vs. topic focused course, large vs. small class, language vs. culture).

• Show off what you are proud of and be your quirky self!

How to prepare a teaching statement:

1.Think of the best class sessions you’ve been part of and make a list of:

• What went well? What went into those successes?

• What did you do to make your teaching effective? What made it memorable?

• What evidence or examples can you include to illustrate this success?

2. Review your list.

• What can you describe memorably and vividly?

• Is there a cumulative breadth among the 3-4 examples you’re picking?

• Are there overarching threads among the examples that connect your approach and allow you to extrapolate backwards to the points above?

3. Explore various structures to see which fits best and shows off your best self. 

• This can be uncomfortable (imposter syndrome!), but push through anyway.

General framework of an effective teaching statement:

1. Opening paragraph

   • Start strong and hook the reader with one of the three basic openings.

   • a) Quotations about teaching that can lead to something more specific.

     • Pitfall: Certain quotes can often be extremely overused.

   • b) Statements of belief about good teaching (e.g., how to create an engaged classroom).

     • Pitfall: for less experienced instructors, it can be a place where you lean on empty platitudes, so make sure to workshop it with people first.

   • c) In medias res – example from classroom illustrative of something wider about your teaching (i.e., a tiny anecdote from a very specific day of class).

     • Pitfall: make sure it’s not just funny or silly.

   • Tip: watch the video for two good examples!

   2. Formatting & Language

   • The teaching statement has no specific format, but it does need structure. 

   • Use short paragraphs on particular themes/topics as building blocks to guide the reader through your statement.

     • For example: Class types: language, capstone, intro vs. upper level

     • Different approaches: innovative technology, methods for teaching writing, topics, ideas about core beliefs related to teaching

   • Use the personal voice and active, vivid verbs

   • Be discipline-specific, but not jargon-filled

How is a teaching statement different from “evidence of effective teaching”?

• An evidence of effective teaching always includes:

  • 1) a teaching statement

  • 2) teaching evaluations

  • It can also include: 1-2 sample syllabi, 1-2 assignments, and course descriptions. And anything else you excel at!

How important are teaching evaluations in a job application?

• They are not mandatory for the teaching statement. 

• Be mindful that they are difficult to weave into a narrative, but a qualitative focus can be helpful (e.g., What are your strengths as a teacher? How do you accommodate student needs?). 

• Make sure to contextualize them as much as possible within a larger statistical frame (i.e., the % of the class that responded – if possible). Because more universities and individual committees are recognizing how problematic evaluations are, the teaching statement is more important. 

• Be aware that they can open the door to unconscious bias in a search committee; by keeping them as contextualized as possible, you can avoid alienating members of the committee.

Research Statements

Dr. Victoria Pagán, University of Florida

Dr. Pagán’s handout is available here.

Some topics discussed include how to refer to your research in terms that situate you vis-à-vis your colleagues, how to refer to your research in ways that respect the blind peer review process, and ways to edit for clarity (reduce the frame; avoid indefensible superlatives; delete adverbs).

Presentation by Dr. Victoria Pagán on research statements

What is a research statement?

• A research statement situates you and your research vis-à-vis your colleagues from the position of a student or as a potential colleague/researcher.

• It should demonstrate the arc of a sustained researcher who will bear fruit over the course of a long career. 

Regardless of career stage, all research statements must be:

• Innovative

• Creative

• Well-founded (you’ve done your homework)

• Feasible (not pie in the sky)

• Fill a need

Main tenets of a research statement:

• Be mindful that all our research deserves respect, and we should treat the ability to do research with respect.

• Be specific, but not too.

• Be general, but not too.

• Be clever, but not too.

• Reduce the frame by eliminating long set-ups (e.g., In my dissertation, I examine how…). Get into the meat of your research and summarize the main points (e.g., In sum, my research emphasizes…).

• Avoid being too dry, making too big of a claim (e.g., most memorable, the first/only), and dense/extra language (e.g., indefensible superlatives, adverbs). 

• Clarify the intersection between your work and the position/department.

• Be aware of your positionality. The research statement’s focus depends on your career stage. 

  • If you’re a student: State that you are a doctoral candidate, at xx university, and give the title. You should also provide your defense date, indicating when that phase of your career will be over.

  • If you’re a recent PhD: Talk about your dissertation and any articles arising out of it (e.g., My dissertation prompted me to begin sharing my work…), but avoid making repetitive use of “dissertation” and saying the you are “revising your dissertation as a monograph.”

• Signpost if you are presenting at the SCS, AIA, etc. Even if you’re not the successful candidate, you may attract them to attend your talk.

• Respect the blind review process. If you have a publication under review, don’t state where you submitted it or give any specific identifying information, so that any potential reviewers on the selection committee can remain anonymous until they’ve finalized their review.

The research statement is not just for jobs, but also for grants. Therefore, it is something that you should revise every few years. It is continually evolving, just like you!

General Guidelines on Statements

General guidelines:

• Keep it short (2 pgs. max each).

• Show rather than just tell. Use specific examples and include an overall philosophy that those specific experiences fit into. Your philosophy should indicate your future promise and illustrate that you are a colleague and a professional.

• Draft early, share widely, and revise, revise, revise. An incremental approach is best. Get as broad advice as possible. Be mindful that your advisor may not always give the best advice. If something doesn’t sound right, disregard it. See what works for you and sparks joy!

• Avoid repetition, but don’t worry too much about it. Each must “sing” its own context (has a different spin). Since each statement (and your cover letter) comes from a different perspective, the way you frame it will make it different. The statements give you room to expand on what you’ve achieved with the examples that were touched on in the cover letter.

• Don’t be afraid to ask your letter writers to highlight certain things in their letters of recommendation. Give your statements to them and work together to come up with specific examples, so that the statements and letters work in conjunction with one another.

• Build your own narrative and don’t let others define you, by showing the hiring committee how to read your application. Teach them about you, help them remember you, and make them want to learn more. Identify and integrate throughlines within your overall application and its individual parts, so that every piece of the package works together and highlights your strengths. Conceptualize the application as an introduction (cover letter) that outlines the overall narrative of who you are with a thesis statement as a road map for reading the rest of the documents, and the individual chapters (CV, statements, recommendation letters) that provide the supporting evidence and dig into the meat and potatoes of your narrative. 

• Avoid superlatives/excessive adverbs (e.g., I am the only xx in field). These claims can be too much, may rub the committee the wrong way, and can be disputed.

• This is a team sport! It can be hard to boil down your narrative yourself, so use a partner. Take turns brainstorming ideas and asking a pre-determined set of questions, while the other takes notes and synthesizes it back. They should consider what connects your interests/ideas and identify the three main take-aways that you want a reader to convey in your dossier. 

SLACS vs. Research-focused institutions:

• Do I need a different version of the teaching statement?

  Not necessarily, but you should tweak it based on the specific institution and department (e.g., large vs. small, older students, first-gen. students), and the type of students you will be teaching. Think about whether the success of a particular example depends on one specific type of student/learner? You don’t want to shut out entire groups of students. If there are large classes, consider how you would manage TAs.

• Do I need a different version of the diversity statement?

  Yes, it must be customized. Get to know the people you’re writing it for. Because there are a range of opinions on its purpose, most committees won’t know what to expect and may receive it differently. In spite of recent comments disparaging the diversity statement, take it seriously; not to do so can be detrimental.

Final tip:

• If you make it to the interview stage, be mindful of your rights. You should be treated with respect, and they should not ask any personal questions (e.g., “friendly” questions). You can disclose as you see fit, but if not, be professional and politely decline to answer.