Defining diversity: A mixed-method analysis of terminology in faculty applications

• We examined how post-doctoral applicants addressed their diversity-related skills.
• Faculty applicant cover letters were qualitatively coded for 18 types of diversity.
• Women and minority applicants were more prevalent than national statistics.
• However, applicants rarely self-disclosed personal characteristics of diversity.
• References to race, ethnicity, gender, and class occurred most frequently.

A desirable societal goal may not imply a common understanding of that goal. As organizations seek to foster inclusion through a focus on diversity, understanding the operational definition employed by stakeholders becomes important. This study focuses on how candidates applying for employment address their diversity-related qualifications when specifically asked to do so. A model-driven qualitative coding system is used to characterize the diversity-related terminology in the cover letters of 111 applicants to a post-doctoral faculty fellowship position at a research university open to all academic disciplines. Applicants describe their strengths related to developing diversity-related curriculum and scholarship, aiding the recruitment and retention of a broad range of students and faculty, and establishing community partnerships to advance diversity. The analysis of applicants’ letters indicates that applicants refer to race, ethnicity, gender, and class dimensions of diversity most frequently, suggesting that operational definitions tend to be more limited to traditionally and legally established taxonomies of human difference.