Predictors of commitment to diversity by administrators, faculty, and staff in veterinary academia

Veterinary students, academics, and as a result, veterinary professionals are part of the least diverse health profession in the United States. While other health professions are successfully making strides at diversifying their workforce, veterinary medicine is still struggling with what it has now proclaimed to be an urgent professional need. This study explored the experiences and perceptions related to diversity of over 2,200 administrators, faculty, and staff at twenty-seven United States veterinary academic institutions.;Astin's Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) model was used as a theoretical framework to present and explore posited predictors of one's personal commitment to diversity. Data was collected via a diversity climate survey that was distributed to all veterinary colleges and schools in the nation. Stepwise regression, t-tests, and one-way Analysis of Variance were performed on the data to determine what variables were predictive of individual commitment to diversity and to explore differences among demographic groups in how they respond to questions regarding their experiences and perceptions related to issues of diversity.;In alignment with other research on diversity, findings reveal that a consistent predictor of greater individual commitment to diversity is one's perception of a high level of institutional commitment to diversity. Perception of a low level of structural diversity within the institution is also a consistent predictor of greater individual commitment to diversity. Job status is the strongest demographic predictor with administrators and faculty both having a greater commitment to diversity than staff. Underrepresented minority and female respondents report more life experiences with discrimination and observations of on-campus discrimination than white and male respondents.;These findings are consistent with other climate research outcomes regarding diversity in higher education. The importance of these findings are discussed as are suggestions for future research and implications for practice. It is anticipated that these results will help inform policies as institutions of veterinary education seek to increase their diversity and create climates of inclusivity.