Perhaps more than any other top campus administrator, the chief diversity officer is a lightning rod for criticism. Of course, some people simply oppose efforts to increase access, equity, multiculturalism, and inclusion. But even people committed to diversity can object to the presence of these officers.
Some critics believe that hiring a chief diversity officer removes the responsibility for diversity and inclusion from the university’s president, other leaders, faculty members, and the campus as a whole. The institution now has a “diversity messiah,” who is singularly responsible for advancing campus-diversity efforts and is nothing more than a symbolic figurehead.
The author is the vice provost for diversity and climate at UW-Madison.