The University of Kentucky has been named by Forbes magazine as one of the Best Employers for Diversity in the country.
In Forbes' second annual list of the Best Employers for Diversity, UK ranked 41st. The university is the eighth-ranked college on the list, and the only Southeastern Conference school to be included.
Among other factors, the ranking evaluates employers' commitment to attracting and developing diverse talent and acknowledging diversity as an imperative pillar of success.
“This honor reflects our commitment to creating and sustaining an environment of belonging,” said UK President Eli Capilouto in a release announcing the ranking. “More than any other setting, college campuses must be spaces where we instill in young people the skills to absorb, understand and navigate fundamental tensions. We are called to cultivate empathy — the ability and the desire to walk a mile in another’s shoes, to see through someone else’s eyes — to experience what they experience, so that we fulfill our responsibility to one another and the essence of what it means to be human.”
A sample of 50,000 employees working for organizations across the United States from a variety of industry sectors were independently surveyed to collect data for the ranking. Survey participants used an online, anonymous access panel to rate their employers on four criteria: direct recommendations, indirect recommendations, diversity among top executives/board and key performance indicators, such as proactive communication of a diverse company culture.
The university ranked best in direct recommendations surrounding the topics of age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability and LGBTQ inclusion, and the existence of positions and public initiatives responsible for diversity.
"The university takes very seriously our responsibility to prepare students to become global citizens. We strive to lead by example by working to ensure our students, faculty and staff are aware of implicit or unconscious biases and by working to create a community of belonging," said UK Vice President for Institutional Diversity Sonja Feist-Price. "The university's Unconscious Bias Initiative has played an essential role in helping to achieve this goal. The university now has Affinity Groups that assist with enhancing belonging, which facilitates engagement throughout our campus community. Our Inclusive Excellence Grants support students, faculty and staff to offer programming that appeals to our diverse campus community. Our success is a result of everyone contributing to excellence in diversity and inclusion. We know that when everyone contributes, everyone benefits."
“This is a tremendous honor for UK. It publicly validates the collaborative efforts across the university to build a diverse and inclusive environment for staff, faculty and students,” said Kim Wilson, vice president and chief human resources officer.
The university has received additional industry recognition in recent years for diversity initiatives. UK earned the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for the past two years and was named a Diversity Champion by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, and the university was recently declared a “Best of the Best” Top 30 LGBTQ-friendly college by Campus Pride. UK also was recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as one of the best employers in higher education.