Rethinking DEI in Higher Education with Azim Shariff

Is diversity simply a box-checking exercise, or does it hold a deeper significance in academia? Today we’re joined by Azim Shariff, Ph.D, a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, to explore the complex landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in higher education. In this conversation, John Tomasi and Azim delve deep into the multifaceted approach to DEI, discussing the pressing need to rethink and clarify the rationale behind diversity in faculty hiring and beyond.

Azim provides a fresh perspective on managing and harnessing diversity’s paradox of fostering innovation and coordination challenges. Whether it’s the impact of role models on educational outcomes or the intricate balance between meritocracy and social justice motives, this episode promises to unfold the nuanced dynamics of DEI efforts within academic institutions.

Get ready to challenge your understanding of diversity in academia as we navigate through the meritocratic, social justice, and instrumental values driving DEI initiatives.

In This Episode:
00:00 Diversity is crucial for universities to advance knowledge
10:36 Value meritocracy, consider the team’s growth in hiring
11:07 The paper discusses the concept of the collective brain
19:26 Meritocracy is not ideal for hiring. Embrace diversity
25:47 Search committees value-adding, not dividing achievements
26:57 Join HxA conference in Chicago this June
36:08 Inappropriate for social restitution; improve education instead
40:37 Lack of diverse professors may affect students
44:25 Role modeling for learning and non-learning outcomes
50:27 Diversity brings benefits
55:07 Research shows a need for wider participation
01:03:09 Encouraging insight into higher education inquiry challenges

About Azim:
Azim Shariff is a Professor and Canada 150 Research Chair at the University of British Columbia, where he directs the Centre for Applied Moral Psychology. His research on morality, religion, politics, and technology regularly receives global media coverage and has appeared in top academic journals such as Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He has written about this work for The New York Times and Scientific American and has spoken at TED, the Aspen Ideas Festival, and the World Science Festival in New York. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. He teaches a free Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) on The Science of Religion for the public through edX. Professor Shariff earned his doctorate from UBC in 2010 and returned as a faculty member in 2018.

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