Northeast Ohio Medical University
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
Gold
Best in Show Finalist
The Positive Change: PDEAC Impact Report 2022 shares Northeast Ohio Medical University’s (NEOMED’s) successful efforts to increase diversity among our student body. The story of that success is shared through infographics, articles, and photographs. The publication has been shared internally with the university community, as well as alumni, donors, elected officials, clinical partners, and others.
The President’s Diversity and Equity Advisory Council (PDEAC) was formed in the fall of 2020 with an initial focus on increasing student diversity; future objectives are to increase diversity among faculty and staff. The council developed three major goals within that focus: (1) to achieve first-year student enrollment that more so reflected Ohio’s 2020 Census data regarding population diversity, (2) achieve first-year student enrollment that reflected more diversity than the Ohio 2020 Census data, and finally (3) achieve first-year student enrollment that was both more diverse than the Ohio 2020 Census data and reached specific targets by race and ethnicity.
NEOMED not only met the high bars set by the council, but it surpassed them by enrolling nearly 100 Black and Latino students from 2021 to 2022, while increasing our Medical College Admission Test® scores. The PDEAC report was an effective way to share these successes with constituents, potential partners, and funders.
What is one thing you learned from your entry/experience?
It’s something we knew, but this report helped refresh it: Stories bring data to life. We could have shared the data in only a series of infographics, like the ones included in the piece, but that would not have been as compelling or interesting.
What challenge did you overcome?
The challenges we overcame were managing expectations and conflicting feedback. There are 10 members of the PDEAC who all played some role in the creation of the report, and there were at least as many faculty and staff who gave some input. With so many “chefs in the kitchen,” it was important to have a clear process for feedback and know who had the final say on content and style.
Contact: Jeanne Hoban
jhoban@neomed.edu