This dynamic tool assesses the EDI landscape across the University’s seven schools and administrative units.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore’s (UMB) Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI), in collaboration with the Center for Information Technology Services (CITS), has launched UMB’s first Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Data Dashboard. The EDI Data Dashboard is a dynamic tool for mapping and tracking our evolving landscape of equity, diversity, and inclusion across UMB’s seven schools and its administrative units.
“We’re excited to launch the data analytics dashboard as a critical resource in assessing and advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion at UMB,” said Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, MA, the University’s chief EDI officer and vice president.
Information that has already been publicly available in PDF form as PeopleSoft-generated employee reports on the Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Planning, and Assessment (IESPA) website is now available in the data dashboard in an accessible, user-friendly platform. The first phase of the project includes data on staff and faculty presence, retention, and hiring, as well as faculty promotions and progressions.
OEDI and CITS are in the early stages of Phase 2 of the project, which will include student data related to enrollment, persistence, and retention. This dashboard is useful for those whose roles include understanding and advancing the state of EDI in their school or unit, and the dashboard also can be used by other stakeholders who are invested in EDI at UMB.
All stand to benefit. For example, hiring managers, leaders, deans, vice presidents, and administrators can use the tool to identify EDI gaps and opportunities to develop informed and innovative change and implementation strategies. Beyond leadership and decision-makers, grant writers may use the tool to report demographics in their proposals. OEDI will use the dashboard data for improving EDI reporting and accountability across UMB to assist leaders in mapping, tracking, reporting, and improving EDI processes, outcomes, and representation in their schools or units.
“I look forward to working closely with our leadership colleagues to assess the EDI landscape in their schools and units and to partner with them to continue to drive measurable, sustainable, and systemic change,” Forbes Berthoud said.
The tool accentuates UMB’s strengths in EDI:
- Addressing historical underrepresentation, UMB has made substantial strides in gender equity, with women constituting 67 percent of the faculty and staff as of 2022.
- UMB was recognized with the 2023 Executive Alliance Honor Roll Award for advancing women’s representation, and the University’s progress is evident through its 15.5 percent increase in women holding executive, administrative, or managerial roles from 2012 to 2022. Women currently make up 66 percent of all executive, administrative, and managerial leadership, which includes deans and vice presidents.
- Over the past decade, UMB has experienced a steady increase in faculty and staff representation from the following populations: American Indian, Asian, Black/African American, Pacific Islander, or two or more races. UMB’s commitment to EDI was recognized two years in a row by Forbes magazine ranking the University among America’s Best Employers for Diversity.
- Black/African American women comprised 76 percent of the executive, administrative, and managerial leadership.
- Black/African American women held 78 percent of the professional jobs with titles such as accountant, administrator, coordinator, and specialist. (For a complete list, visit UMB’s HR Job Description) These professional roles can encompass responsibilities that call for the use of autonomy, discretion, creativity, and analytical thinking as well as contributions to the development of goals, objectives, and evaluations. (For complete definitions, visit UMB’s HR Job Description website).
- The number of faculty and staff of color (American Indian, Asian, Black/African American, Pacific Islander or two or more races) has steadily been increasing, growing from 38.9 percent in 2013 to 49.6 percent in June 2023.
The dashboard is an expression of our shared commitment to inclusion and equity, and it will be continuously reviewed and revised, evolving as the EDI landscape changes. It strengthens our alliance between data and progress, is the fulfillment of a significant commitment made in the University’s Anti-Racism Statement, and reflects three of UMB’s 2022-2026 Strategic Plan themes: Accountability and Integration of Core Values; University Culture, Engagement, and Belonging; and Innovation, and Reimagination. In doing so, the dashboard also exemplifies our unwavering dedication to UMB’s core values: Respect and Integrity; Well-Being and Sustainability; Equity and Justice; and Innovation and Discovery.
As we engage the data to advance EDI, we are taking a step closer to a more equitable future.
“The creation of this resource is a testament to UMB’s longstanding commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as our focus on continued innovation and progress,” Forbes Berthoud said. “We’re able, through the various displays, to review trends, opportunities, and exemplars in order to facilitate effective strategic planning, implementation, and accountability.”
Together, UMB is building an organization where every voice matters, every perspective is valued, and every individual can thrive. Everyone at the University is invited to take a seat at the table — to explore, engage, and enact change.