CIO’s Commitment on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We, the undersigned chief information officers (CIOs), representing the breadth of higher education institutions, believe strongly in the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the benefits derived from working in diverse and inclusive environments. We recognize the low participation in technology professions of some groups, including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities, as well as the slow progress that has been made in improving their participation. We are committed to enhancing opportunities for these groups to eliminate barriers to full participation in technology professions in our institutions and the technology industry generally.

As CIOs, we play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of technology professionals and leaders. We believe that diverse and inclusive workplace environments will foster more effective and creative teams of IT professionals.

Our Commitment

As a CIO, I resolve to take the following actions to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the benefit of the technology profession in my institution and in the profession generally:

1. Raise my personal awareness about challenges and opportunities related to DEI in the technology field, and work to raise awareness departmentally and institutionally.
2. Work to increase opportunities for women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, and individuals with disabilities to be information technology professionals and leaders.
3. Work with EDUCAUSE and other professional organizations to encourage efforts to make transparent and publish technology workforce demographic data.
4. Become aware of institutional and/or regional demographic trends and work toward creating an institutional and/or regional technology workforce that keeps up with demographic trends.
5. Partner with institutional colleagues to create/advance programs that aim to expand opportunities and eliminate the barriers for students from underrepresented populations interested in computer science, data sciences, other technology-related fields, both in undergraduate education and post-graduation programs.
6. Advocate for DEI practices, help develop appropriate DEI practices, resources, and tools, and mentor colleagues seeking to contribute to DEI efforts.