Becoming a Diversity Leader on Campus

Book excerpt: Illuminating the emerging importance of the diversity leader on college campuses, this book offers perspectives and narratives from diversity leaders at institutions of higher education. Becoming a Diversity Leader on Campus unpacks the tension of how diversity leadership is shaped by external factors and pressures that confront colleges and universities, as well as by the unique experiences and identities of the individuals appointed to diversity leadership positions. This book offers a better understanding of how diversity leaders make meaning and sense of their roles, desire, and passion for promoting diversity within their institutions. Chapter authors offer narratives that represent their realities regarding the concept of diversity leadership, how they came to be in their roles, and how diversity leaders do diversity work. This important resource provides practical strategies and guides faculty and higher education professionals in navigating the situational, contextual, and relational constructs within the social and cultural contexts of college and university campuses.