Diversity Statement Instructions

If a diversity statement is listed as one of the required documents to apply for a position, follow these instructions. Your diversity statement is a short essay you submit along with your resume and any other required application documents.

The reason UNO requests diversity statements is to learn if you have professional skills and career experiences that would enhance campus diversity and equity efforts.

UNO’s goal is to always hire the most qualified applicant for every job. Your diversity statement will be judged as one piece of your overall qualifications for a particular job.

Your Diversity Statement Should Be:

• Less than one page. Brevity is encouraged. A single paragraph might be adequate if well written.
• A description of your experience developing strategies for the educational or professional advancement of students, faculty, or staff in underrepresented groups.
• A list of your efforts to advance equitable access and diversity in education, employment, or other fields.
• An explanation of your activities such as recruitment, retention, mentoring, or advising of underrepresented students, faculty, or staff.
• If you don’t have any such experiences, discuss your ideas about the ways you might contribute to diversity if employed at UNO.

Underrepresented individuals may include women, racial or ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, military veterans, people from a deprived socioeconomic class, people of nontraditional sexual orientation, or others who sometimes face challenges obtaining an education or employment.

Your Diversity Statement Should NOT Be:

• Merely your personal feelings about diversity. Focus instead on your actual educational, employment, or volunteer activities related to improving diversity. Think of the diversity statement as a list your accomplishments toward improving diversity.