Beyond coexistence: Build connections, shared influence across differences

Some student affairs professionals may find it surprising that diversity doesn’t automatically produce inclusion and may not necessarily advance an institution's larger mission. I’ve worked in a variety of capacities across K–12 education, private elite universities, state colleges, and international corporations. Those experiences have led me to contemplate how people from different racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, national, professional, and generational backgrounds can share an institution yet remain disconnected or unequal in their ability to influence it.