Inclusion Advocates

The Inclusion Advocate (“IA”) is a specialized role to search committees for faculty employment searches. The IA is intended to facilitate dialogue around inclusive talent acquisition and ensure that faculty searches are conducted in an equitable manner.

Equity and inclusion are essential to Grand Valley State University's mission to educate students to shape their lives, their professions, and their societies. We do this by creating an inclusive environment where differences are valued, allowing individuals to reach their highest plateaus of professional success. In this environment, social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are institutional values that are woven into the fabric of the University. 

Going forward, anyone at the university who has completed the annual HR interview training is eligible to serve as an inclusion advocate on a search, though that role within the search committee is not ‘required.’ Moving to this approach helps to share the responsibility of conducting equitable searches to all faculty and staff across the university.