Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Toolkit for Employers & Partners
At the URI Center for Career & Experiential Education we are deeply committed to creating a robust and talented workforce of the future, and we know that diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital components of this work. We are members of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and share in their commitment to developing and supporting an inclusive community.
Our Career Services team has received national recognition from NACE for our “Centering Identity: Staff Professional Development” work, and we invite you to take a look at our 2021 JEDI Strategic Plan to see the work that is being done every day to create a culture of inclusion and to ensure equitable access to opportunities.
Together with you, our employer and community partners, we will continue to work toward inclusivity. Please use this toolkit as a point from which to start, or to expand upon your inclusive recruitment and retention efforts. We will continue to learn alongside you and expect that this toolkit will continue to evolve as we progress. We encourage you to reach out to our Employer Relations team with questions, comments, or suggestions at any time.
URI Campus Connections and Related Resources
- URI Student Organizations
- Community, Equity and Diversity at URI
- URI Gender and Sexuality Center
- The URI Multicultural Student Services Center
- URI Women’s Center
- URI Office of Disability, Access, and Inclusion
- Office of International Students and Scholars
- US Department of Homeland Security: International Student Employment Overview
Please note: This is a small sample of our student organizations. Contact the Employer Relations Office to learn more.
Become a Member of Our BUILD Network
Representation in higher education and in the workplace is a vital component of career development. Together with the Multicultural Student Success Center, we have established an annual BUILD Networking Night to bring together our students and BIPOC leaders from local organizations and employers. This event creates a unique opportunity to make connections, network, and most importantly for students to see reflections of themselves in influential roles.
What began as one evening per year has grown to include other BUILD events, such as a panel discussions with alumni of color, student open-house events, and more! BUILD events are not career fairs, but we do encourage our guests to share information about internship opportunities at their organizations.
While these BUILD events are not open to the public, we are always accepting new members to our network. If you have personal and/or professional experiences to share, that resonate with our BIPOC students, please reach out to us directly.
Earn Your Handshake “Invests in Diversity” Designation
As students embark on their journey into the workforce they are searching for organizations that demonstrate values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We also know that attracting and retaining diverse talent is important to our employer community. In order to help our students easily search for and connect with employers that are committed to diversifying their workforce we have created a designation that can be added to employer profiles in Handshake.
To be considered for this designation as an employer that “Invests in Diversity” an organization must demonstrate the following:
- Dedication to recruiting at URI as evidenced by consistent engagement with various groups on campus
- Evidence of strategic goals and recruiting pathways to increase diversity in your organization
- Paid Internships regularly posted on Handshake
Do you qualify? Contact a member of the Employer Relations team.
Inclusive Terms to Know
- 70 Inclusive language principles that will make you a more successful recruiter
- Inclusive Language Guidelines from the American Psychological Association
- An Incomplete Guide to Inclusive Language for Startups and Tech
- Pronouns Matter
- Gender Pronouns in the Workplace: What They Are and Why They Matter
Building a Diverse Workforce
- Diversity & Inclusion: The Ultimate Guide for HR & Recruiting from Handshake
- Remove hiring bias from the recruiting process
- How to Create a Strong Diversity Recruiting Strategy
- 12 ways to improve your diversity recruiting strategy
- 3 strategies for hiring veterans in the next phase of their career
- 8 Dos and don’ts of messaging underrepresented students
- US Department of Labor: Hiring People With Disabilities
- Disability:IN – Disability inclusion and equality resource hub
- Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities (WRP)
- Putting interns first at Handshake: 4 Tips for writing inclusive internship job descriptions
Supporting Diverse Populations in the Workforce
for companies
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0: A Toolkit for Leaders to Accelerate Social Progress in the Future
- Steps Small Businesses Can Take to Recruit and Retain Qualified People with Disabilities
- U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
The University of Rhode Island Land Acknowledgement
The University of Rhode Island occupies the traditional stomping ground of the Narragansett Nation and the Niantic People. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship between the Indigenous people and this land by teaching and learning more about their history and present-day communities, and by becoming stewards of the land we, too, inhabit.