Q&A with New Assistant Vice Provost for DEIB

Erin Duran joined the KU Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) as assistant vice provost in August 2021. He brings ten years of experience in diversity and inclusion to the position, which will focus on staff issues and initiatives at KU. We asked Erin to outline priority issues, his vision for the role, and the ways staff can support the work of DEIB at KU.

What do you see as your most pressing charges? Are there specific steps you have in mind to push those priorities forward?

As the assistant vice provost for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging focused on staff, my most pressing charge is staff retention. I am, of course, concerned about staff recruitment and ensuring we have a diverse workforce. However, we need to first prioritize those who are here, and create a positive employee experience for our current workforce. I want to get a solid understanding of who we have been losing from our staff at the university and why. This means looking into exit surveys and interviews, departure trends in units, and pay rates, as well as the processes through which departing employees of all types are given information about and access to these items. This involves establishing new processes for gaining an understanding of staff experience so we can identify problems and concerns, directly or indirectly pertaining to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, before they lead to staff departures.  

How can staff advance the work of equity and inclusion and support the ideas and initiatives you have in mind?

On the most basic level, I would love to connect and hear perspectives, experiences, and ideas. I want and need to learn more about staff members’ experiences from across the university – the good, the bad, the ugly … everything. Where are we succeeding at creating diverse, equitable, inclusive environments where staff members feel they belong? Where are we currently failing to do so? I am new to the university, and while I am familiarizing myself with our most recent campus climate study findings and the most recent recommendations from the DEI Advisory Group (2017), I don’t know what I don’t know. Learning about staff experiences and concerns can help ensure that my efforts are as informed and responsive to community needs and concerns as possible.

If staff have questions or concerns around DEIB issues, does your role change the way they should approach a resolution?

The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX (formerly IOA) and the Ombuds offices are great resources for addressing discrimination, harassment, and/or interpersonal conflict in the workplace. Human Resource Management, specifically Employee Relations, is also available to assist when there are interpersonal conflicts that impact your ability to do your work. I am another resource now available to our community, and I am intentionally positioned within the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging and HRM to assist in making structural changes and ensuring the inclusion of DEIB-related staff development, education, and support in institutional strategic planning. 

What do you want staff to know about how you envision your role?

I want staff to know I am committed to making changes in the staff experience here at KU, from recruitment and interview processes to onboarding, welcoming, orientation, and retention initiatives, as well as what the offboarding experience looks like. I haven’t been here long, but it is incredibly clear that there is room for improvement in all of these areas, and I am committed to making that happen. I want staff to know I already have positive relationships with my colleagues in Human Resource Management (HRM) and am partnering with them to learn about KU and make this a better place for all staff members, with a particular focus on staff from underrepresented communities.