In Our Own Image: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in a College of Education in a Rural Setting

• In Event: Countering Anti-DEI Legislation in Education: Renewed Imaginings of Justice

Abstract

The College of Education at Fort Hays State University, located in rural Kansas established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research Institute to foster research, understanding, advocacy and support around DEI. As an initial step the Institute implemented a self-study examining the status of DEI among its own faculty and staff within the CoE. The study revealed positive support for DEI efforts and areas for further examination and growth, including; reports of sexism, reports of racism, concerns for handicap inaccessibility, and concerns about the semantics of the word “anti-racism”. Simultaneously, changes in the political climate in Kansas around the concepts and implementation of DEI fostered a new culture of caution and a decline in the activities of the Institute.

Author

• Gary Andersen, Fort Hays State University