In the wake of turmoil, Coe College addressed matters head on and made meaningful change.
Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has consistently performed well across all four Diverse Organizational Impact and Transformation (DOIT) institutional pillars. A year ago, Coe was the only college or university to earn B or above on all four pillars. But during the 2021-22 academic year concerns about diversity in leadership surfaced. By summer, the college had taken decisive action — hiring Donald Jaamal to be dean of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and Title IX coordinator.
“In these early days, I am acclimating myself to the institution, evaluating the campus climate, establishing relationships with faculty, staff and students, and becoming more connected with the local community,” says Jaamal. “Understanding the perspectives of Coe community members who have been affected by these issues has been invaluable.”
David T. Hayes
Addressing matters directly
The challenges arose when a longtime trustee and Coe alum raised diversity-related concerns with the college’s presidential search. A dispute led to the resignation of two trustees. What followed were demands from Coe community members, including Coe's Black alumni. In addition to Jaamal’s hiring, there were requests for the creation of a committee to address discrimination, racism, diversity, and inclusion concerns.
Jaamal, who has worked in various positions in higher education for more than a decade, says listening was very important before starting to develop programming. “This role requires a high level of collaboration,” he says. “My purpose is to help the institution be more proactive about increasing collective awareness of institutional inequities so that we can promote systemic change with the involvement of both internal and community stakeholders.”
