Report highlights progress in first year since release of Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion

When Johns Hopkins University released its Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion in November 2016, President Ronald J. Daniels said, "success depends not on any single project, but on a sustained and systemic effort across our strategic priorities to achieve greater diversity of membership in the JHU community, improve opportunity for JHU community members of all backgrounds, enable robust engagement with diverse viewpoints, and foster a climate of respect."

The Roadmap set out a series of concrete actions to support that effort and, Daniels said, provided a framework through which progress would be subject to periodic evaluation and public accountability. To that end, a Roadmap progress report released today captures the first year of related activities and accomplishments from across the institution.

Among the highlights, the progress report notes that:

• 19 percent of professorial-rank new faculty hired in 2016-17 were underrepresented minorities compared to 10 percent the previous year
• Enhanced undergraduate admissions practices helped increase diversity among incoming classes of students—27.2 percent of first-year undergraduates identified as an underrepresented minority in 2017, up from 14.2 percent in 2010

In the year since the Roadmap was created, the Faculty Diversity Initiative continued to support recruitment and retention of diverse scholars, and the university adopted new policies to offer qualified employees paid family leave and greater financial assistance for adoption-related expenses. The HopkinsLocal and BLocal programs led to increased hiring of city residents; more spending with local businesses; and more construction contracts with minority-owned, women-owned, or disadvantaged business enterprises.

Another key accomplishment was the hiring of the university's first Chief Diversity Officer, Fenimore Fisher, who will lead the ongoing work outlined in the Roadmap and coordinate efforts by individuals from all of the divisions.

Learn more

Diversity at JHU

An overview of diversity programs, research, and resources at Johns Hopkins University

"We realize that what gets measured gets managed," Fisher says. "Reporting on our progress, as well as areas for improvement, maintains our ongoing themes of accountability and transparency.

"I greatly appreciate all of the individuals who contributed to this progress report," he adds. "We are working collectively, throughout the university to implement sustainable diversity and inclusion initiatives that will directly impact our culture. I look forward to working with students, faculty, and staff to understand how we can build upon this momentum and where more work is needed, allowing me to best advise leadership as to how we can make substantive change through a specific and systemic approach."

In a message to the university community today, Daniels and JHU Provost Sunil Kumar said they are proud of the university's progress and recognize there is more work ahead.

"We hope that the Roadmap's clear articulation of values and priorities will continue to bolster the best of our university's culture," they wrote, "and support our effort to nurture leaders who understand how exposure to diverse people, ideas, and experiences supports our core commitment to excellence and humanity."