Faculty and staff gather at Convocation 2023 in the Park Blocks.
Portland State has been named by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity for 2024.
PSU made the list of mid-sized employers recognized by their employees for genuinely respecting and valuing individuals from different walks of life. PSU is one of 15 Oregon organizations featured; Oregon Health & Science University is the only other Oregon university named to the list.
Scoring was based on a five-part evaluation led by research firm Plant-A Insights Group that included a review of publicly available data, interviews with human resources professionals, and an anonymous online survey conducted among a diverse group of employees at companies in the U.S.
“Our community benefits from improving and supporting diversity to create an environment of innovation, creativity and inclusion at PSU,” said Nathan Klinkhammer, associate vice president for HR. “By collectively embracing these values we build and strengthen PSU as a workplace for all to find belonging and thrive.”
In recent years, PSU has worked to create a more diverse, inclusive and equitable university, including recruitment and retention efforts, as part of its three-year Time to Act: Plan for Racial Equity & Justice.
During the hiring process, trained search advocates now guide search committees by asking questions to help members identify and promote practices that advance diversity and social justice and minimize the impacts of biases. PSU’s Global, Diversity and Inclusion office has introduced programs and training, such as the Leadership Academy and Intercultural U, aimed at community-building and equipping employees with tools to bring an equity lens to their respective units. More intentional efforts have been made to connect BIPOC faculty and staff through affinity groups, lunches, social events and meetings with administrators. Managers have also received training about trauma-informed care practices and working with employees to set DEI goals and evaluate them during annual performance reviews.
Ame Lambert, vice president for Global, Diversity and Inclusion, says the honor recognizes the collective efforts of the campus community to advance justice and equity at PSU.
“Students look to faculty and staff as role models, guides and supports, so there can be no student success without employee success and our policies, practices and culture impact the retention and success of our employees, reinforcing the idea of our shared futures,” she said. “We are grateful to our partners and leaders across campus — at all levels and in all areas — for all the ways they are contributing to employee success and we would like to especially thank affinity groups, task forces and managers for their efforts. We know there is much to do, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to get closer to our aspirations.”
Earlier this fall, PSU was recognized for the second year in a row for its outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, higher education’s oldest and largest diversity magazine. In 2021, PSU was named a Racial Justice and Equity Program Award Winner by the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities (USU) in recognition of PSU’s efforts to increase faculty and staff diversity and inclusion by improving hiring and retention practices. As part of the award, PSU received a grant to develop the Leadership Academy, which has worked to build a sense of belonging for BIPOC faculty and staff by improving employee onboarding practices, fostering supportive mentorship relationships and examining policies and institutional structures that may create barriers to equity.