2008 Best in Class: Senior Management Diversity - Nonprofit/government

 
Cuyahoga Community College serves as a model regionally and beyond for its commitment to higher education and for bringing value to its students and Northeast Ohio. The college consistently demonstrates this commitment, including building a strong and diverse senior management team to mirror the communities it serves.

 

Twenty-six percent of Tri-C’s leadership team (six of 23 individuals) are minority individuals compared to an average of 16.6 percent for all nonprofit and government survey participants and 14 percent for all survey participants. In addition, minority individuals compose 23 percent of Tri-C’s non-senior managers. Effective strategies include:   

  • Annual internal diversity audits and bi-monthly workforce demographic audits are conducted with results reported to senior management.
  • Four operation units (two of Tri-C’s campuses, the Workforce and Economic Development Division, and the college itself) are run by minority senior managers.
  • Tri-C ensures senior management diversity through aggressive recruitment efforts both nationally and locally. The college has specifically budgeted targeted funds for diversity recruitment. This budget has increased by 100 percent over the previous year. Minority senior managers provide networking affiliations for recruitment sources and participate in the diversity recruitment strategic plan.
  • Minority senior managers serve on the college’s diversity recruitment committee that includes two college diversity affinity groups (the Hispanic Council and the Black Caucus). These managers present at, and participate in, recruiting events.
  • Outstanding minority talent is groomed for promotion by targeting them for participation in major college-wide initiatives, projects and interim assignments.  These activities allow minority staff to visibly demonstrate their leadership capacity and management ability. Development projects, mentoring, executive coaching, and professional development workshops and conferences also are utilized.  

  • Tri-C utilizes career pathing for its minority senior managers to ensure opportunities for advancement within the organization. The college recruits outstanding minority talent to participate in the college’s leadership development program.
  • Senior managers are empowered to identify and address obstacles to inclusion through surveys, internal training and targeted recruitment of minority candidates.

   

“Cuyahoga Community College recognizes that incorporating diversity throughout the organization represents an investment in the community-at-large and that this investment starts at the top. The senior leaders of the college comprise a diverse and inclusive team ensuring that students, faculty, administrators and all community stakeholders have the opportunity to make the most of what the college has to offer.”
Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, president, Cuyahoga Community College