Reese Takes Duke Diversity Efforts On International Visits

Ben Reese, vice president for institutional equity, recently visited the Pentagon for a discussion with Air Force officials on strategies for enhanced diversity and inclusion in the Air Force. 

Reese, who also serves as president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), discussed his perspective on diversity issues and best practices in higher education.

Over the summer, Reese will travel to faculty at other institutions to speak about implicit bias and strategies for reducing bias.  The schools include Michigan State, the University of East London and Brigham Young University.

In addition, as president of NADOHE, Reese will head a delegation of 25 chief diversity officers and other diversity professionals to Cuba in July.

"I hope these visits will stimulate some ideas that I can use at Duke," Reese said. He said the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) has completed a pilot implicit bias project with three academic departments and intend to extend that effort to other departments in the fall. 

In addition, OIE will hold implicit bias education workshops for all faculty who serve on search committees.