Reginald Nichols has been promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives in higher education for more than 20 years, but he has noticed a distinct uptick in interest in his work over the past nine months.
The Coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color, and the Black Lives Matter movement spotlighted institutional and systemic racism.
“I think that has caused an awakening of individuals who weren't necessarily quote-unquote plugged in,” Nichols said. “You know, ‘I’ve heard of this’ or ‘I didn’t really know what’s really going on, I need to be more plugged in. I want to make a difference.’ Folks want to speak their truth, but people also want to build a coalition and be allies to the work, which is so important.”
Nichols, who has spent the past 15 years at Middlesex Community College in Lowell, Mass., is passionate about lowering barriers to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, has an opportunity to be successful. Broadening the hiring pool and making sure that different types of voices are heard benefits not only the employees but also their employers.
“It’s been shown with research that organizations are successful if they have diverse people sitting around the table and in the power positions,” Nichols said. “That's how organizations grow because you have people who are at the table with different perspectives and experiences.
Nichols’s title is a sign of how broad his responsibilities are: Assistant Director of HR Talent & Compliance, Affirmative Action Officer, ADA & 504 Coordinator, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator, on top of being an academic counselor. He champions DEI efforts throughout the College, on the academic side as well as student services and other divisions, through programs such as implicit bias trainings and inclusive search processes for faculty and staff.
He also makes sure his colleagues look at DEI as a broad spectrum.
“People think diversity, and sometimes folks are looking at it in one specific way,” Nichols said. “(We’re) really reminding people that diversity is broadly defined.”
DEI initiatives are especially important at community colleges, which award more than 1.4 million associate degrees and certificates a year and where 55 percent of students enrolled for credit are non-white.
Community colleges can position themselves to connect with community-based organizations and work in harmony with political leaders to provide pathways to educate students from underserved communities. Nichols has dedicated his career to helping at-risk, first-generation, and multicultural students map out their educational, career, and financial paths.
“We're at the nerve center of making an impact in society,” Nichols said. “We have the pulse of our region, especially in doing the work with underserved communities are in our region. You know what challenges they are facing.”
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About the Author: Harold Gutmann is the director of brand and marketing strategy at Santa Clara University. He is a longtime writer and editor who is proud to work in higher education, and encourages all job seekers to consider it.
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