NIU is committed to recruiting and supporting employees who represent diverse communities and identities in our society.
We strive to create a welcoming, inclusive and equitable community where all people are treated with dignity and respect. We foster equity-minded practices that support the professional development and career progression of our faculty and staff.
Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (AAEO) began our inaugural AAP Overview and Reporting review meetings with campus leadership and their designees to discuss the 2021-2022 AAP and to provide an overview of what the AAP represents and their roles and responsibilities to ensure NIU is compliant with AA and EEO policies and procedures, as well helping us achieve and sustain equal opportunity for our organization.
Status: In progress as of summer 2022.
AAEOE and Human Resource Services (HRS) undertook a comprehensive compensation analysis to support the university’s commitment to pay equity and to recruiting and retaining talent. This work was also baided by Affirmity.
The groups are hopeful to renew this again for the next three years in fall 2022 with the hope that this analysis can represent the university’s overarching pay equity study for all classifications.
Status: Completed summer 2021.
AAEOE seeks to create two new, important roles for NIU employees to support our search processes.
Diversity advocates would participate in searches with assigned responsibility for ensuring that all aspects of a search are fair, equitable and free of bias, including the position description, interview questions and candidate selection. AAEOE would provide annual training to those interested in serving as diversity advocates to keep current with trends and best practices.
Equal opportunity liaisons would be drawn from leadership of colleges/divisions, and are expected to assume responsibility for communications, data sharing and compliance related to affirmative action plans, search processes and equal employment opportunity. AAEOE would provide annual training to keep current with trends and best practices.
In April 2022 a group was formed of HRS, ADEI and Office of the Provost representatives to discuss the possibility of launching a Diversity Advocate program at NIU. In September 2022, they have a meeting scheduled to meet with representatives of UIUC and ISU who currently have Diversity Advocate roles and training programs at their universities, so they can share how they came to be.
Status: Ongoing.
AAEOE procured bundled advertising that allows NIU vacancies to post automatically on high-profile media channels that include:
This provided departments with a seamless means to seek qualified, diverse candidates without additional effort or cost.
AAEOE may look at starting a membership with HERC that may enable HR and all departments to do more intentional and targeted recruitment and advertising than the current job packs allow. This is in preliminary discussions right now.
Status: Implemented spring 2020; ongoing.
The Office of Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity and Education (AAEOE) developed and implemented required implicit bias training, in alignment with the FY20 presidential goal of reducing bias and stereotyping to achieve diverse applicant pools and fair evaluation of all candidates. The training was first required for all individuals serving on faculty search committees beginning in July 2018, and then for all individuals serving on search committees for both faculty and supportive professional staff (SPS) positions as of Oct. 1, 2019.
This training brings awareness to the implicit and unconscious bias that exists in each of us. Participants are provided strategies for avoiding implicit bias during the search process so they are able to review applicants and interview candidates in an equitable manner.
Beginning in August 2020, the implicit bias training moved to an online format via Blackboard, where participants are required to review a 30-plus minute training (at their leisure) and pass a brief quiz. Names and email addresses of interested participants must be sent to affirmativeaction@niu.edu.
AAEOE will look at encouraging departments with civil service searches to do more in the future.
Status: Ongoing.
NIU recognizes and affirms that individuals may use many terms to identify their gender identity and sexual orientation. Accordingly, employees may voluntarily indicate how they identify in these categories within the Employee Self-Service portal.
This information is kept confidential and reported only as summary (or aggregated) data and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Status: Completed spring 2022.
NIU has moved toward recruiting talent for leadership positions with one voice and a brand identity that emphasizes our values and commitment to equity and inclusion. AAEOE and HRS implemented a new model with the search for associate vice president/director of admissions. The model has many benefits for the university and hiring units, including enhanced support for constructing strong, objective and inclusive qualifications, and casting a wide net to solicit qualified, diverse candidates.
Currently representatives of Affirmative Action and Talent Acquisition are working together to see how best to develop a Talent Acquisition model at NIU.
Status: Implemented Jan. 22; in review and redesign stage.
AAEOE, HRS and the vice provost of faculty affairs are considering how the process of hiring temporary faculty appointments can most effectively utilize affirmative action and equal employment opportunity best practices and policies to ensure that recruitment and hiring efforts are fair and equitable.
Affirmative Action has helped a couple of colleges to develop a pooled search process. They need to continue to meet with the Office of the Provost and colleges to see how to strengthen the collaboration and get an understanding of how best to proceed.
Status: Review initiated fall 2020; ongoing.
AAEOE, in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, reestablished the defunct Diversity Affinity Group, which was a collaborative group between all Illinois public institutions where matters related to affirmative action, human resources, and general diversity, equity, and inclusion were discussed, and ideas benchmarked in an effort to create more continuity amongst the institutions and streamline efforts. In its first year since it was disbanded years ago, AAEOE’s Alan Clay, associate director of affirmative action and equal opportunity, chairs the group.
Status: Reestablished summer 2020; ongoing