The Office of Diversity & Inclusion is excited to announce the launch of the new Inclusive Excellence Learning & Development Model (IELDM). Bentley has made significant progress in our collective understanding of and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. This new model harnesses the energy and passion so many of our community members have shown in engaging in opportunities to build our individual and collective capacity to create a more inclusive and equitable community.  The IELDM provides a structure to guide your learning and identifies the outcomes you can work to develop along the way by outlining a set of core mindsets and practices with a scaling and development pathway to help faculty and staff easily build and grow our individual capacity for DEI.

Learning and development focused on DEI at Bentley has been individually-focused and self-motivated. While several options for learning exist, little connection has existed between these opportunities and no expectations have been established to guide faculty and staff as they continue to grow their own understanding of DEI in practice.

This new model provides a scaling development path called the Attributes of Inclusive Excellence, where employees can start at Awareness before moving into Allyship, Advocacy and Agency. This path ensures faculty and staff can identify developmentally appropriate opportunities for their growth.

The model offers a common set of Core Mindsets and Core Practices that facilitate DEI development and help guide employees as they more deeper into their development. These mindsets and practices will help faculty and staff prepare themselves to effectively engage with DEI in their roles and divisions and will be actively incorporated into ODI’s programming, both through explicit discussion or through incorporation into the program design.

Core Mindsets are mental preparations and foundations that dictate how we think and approach diversity, equity and inclusion work. They assist faculty and staff in doing the internal work that allows for more robust, holistic diversity, equity, inclusion and justice engagement.

Below are reflection question designed to help employees further their Core Mindset development.

Core Practices are actionable steps and routines that influence how we operationalize and evaluate diversity, equity and inclusion work. They represent external tools faculty and staff can use and adapt as they engage DEI in their roles.

Below are reflection question designed to help employees further their Core Practice development.

To ensure faculty and staff can readily and easily identify opportunities for DEI development, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion has created a new program called Bentley Baseline. Designed as a self-guided professional development series to be completed within the first two years of employment at Bentley, Baseline is the place to begin or continue professional development within DEI. To assist faculty and staff in planning their development, we have development a Bentley Baseline Roadmap, which assists faculty and staff in tracking their progress and reflecting on and planning for future development opportunities.

Bentley Baseline combines three Universal Experiences with a Personal Growth Plan each employee creates in consultation with their manager and division. This combination ensures each employee has the ability to customize their learning and growth to their particular job function and duties along with a baseline of knowledge and skills. It is also an excellent tool and opportunity for employees and managers to utilize when identifying Inclusive Excellence CAP goals.

Universal Experiences

The Universal Experiences are a set of three trainings designed and offered by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. They are self-contained trainings that guide faculty and staff through reflection and action planning to develop a core set of knowledge for working at Bentley.

Personal Growth Plan

The Personal Growth Plan (PGP) is designed to help employees participate in activities that can enhance their personal passions or roles. The PGP is designed in collaboration with each employee’s office, division and manager.

The three Universal Experiences and examples of opportunities for the Personal Growth Plan are below.

Bentley Forward is a new program designed to help faculty and staff who have been previously activated in engaging DEI in their roles. Forward takes learning beyond allyship and awareness and offers faculty and staff the chance to make tangible, systemic changes to how Bentley runs and operates. It is designed for individuals who have found a passion and dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice and want to take further action in addressing inequities on Bentley's campus.

To ensure everyone can find new and fulfilling opportunities for growth and engagement, the Office of Diversity & Inclusion will be creating new programs through Bentley Forward. Two programs are currently available for faculty and staff to take part in through collaboration with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.