Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.21
Liaison Stephen Ellis
Submission Date June 9, 2023

STARS v2.2

Boston University
IN-50: Innovation D

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Stephen Ellis
Director, Data Analytics
BU Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
Office of the Senior Diversity Officer

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
In August 2020, Boston University established the position of Senior Diversity Officer (SDO) and its corresponding office. The SDO builds on the University’s many existing DEI efforts, from the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground’s work to promote unity among students, to the Provost’s initiatives to improve faculty recruitment and make BU affordable for all.

One initiative headed by the SDO is the Antiracist Working Group (AWG). The AWG is responsible for systematically examining policies and practices across the University and makes recommendations to the President and other senior leaders on how to best remove systemic bias from BU's practices to create a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.

Another initiative headed by the SDO is the Task Force on Workplace Culture. This group aims to assess existing practices and staff perceptions that reflect DEI in the work environment for University community members and recommend systemic improvements to practices that address gaps in perceptions. The task force relies on the assessments, feedback, and recommendations from other constituent groups, and its members to learn best practices for staff engagement and development. Feedback from constituents reflects the diverse community that exists at the University such as diversity by race, age, gender preference, generation, disability, and sexual orientation.

The SDO heads a number of additional initiatives including the Trustee Committee on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and the Community Safety Advisory Group (CSAG). The SDO is unique in the way that the position focuses on policy changes that are coordinated, consistent, and consequential across the entire institution, placing diversity among the University’s top priorities.

A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional information on SDO initiatives: https://www.bu.edu/diversity-officer/our-work/antiracism-working-group/
https://www.bu.edu/diversity-officer/our-work/task-force-on-workplace-culture/

This represents FY2021/2022 BU Metrics.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.