Grand Rapids Community College held its second forum on May 3 for the Vice President for People, Culture and Equity position with finalist Nygil Likely. Likely talked with GRCC faculty and staff about the importance of creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and what policies and strategic plans he would implement if selected.
Likely presented five goals: Increase access & equity, create an inclusive environment, understand the experiences, build institutional capacity and infuse DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging) into curriculum and co-curriculum. Within these goals, Likely used examples of policies he and his team at Calvin had used and the result of each implication.
One of those policies that Likely highlighted was a BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) Leadership Development Plan he and his team brought to Calvin University to ensure that leaders, specifically people of color, have the opportunity to move up in the institution.
“…We have worked very hard for the last two years to create pathways,” Likely explained. “One of the challenges we face as an institution (Calvin University) was that particularly leaders of color were finding it hard to find advancement opportunities within the institution. Me and the executive leadership team work together to come up with what we call the BIPOC Leadership Development Program…Why is this important? This is important for us as an institution because we wanted to make sure we were retaining talent within the institution.”
Another policy that Likely shared was the creation of safe space offices to allow faculty, staff and students to feel more comfortable reporting their concerns, requiring cross-cultural development during employee evaluations and creating a workforce quality task force to examine the experiences across employee groups.
Likely is the current Chief Diversity Officer at Calvin University and was raised in the Grand Rapids area. Likely has worked in education for serval years, serving in administration roles at institutions including Davenport University, Lake Michigan College, City Colleges of Chicago and currently Calvin University. He also worked at the YMCA of the Greater Grand Rapids area as a program director.
When asked why he was applying for the position specifically, Likely explained that he likes this position because it aligns with his values and how he wants to give back to the community.
“I see it as an opportunity to come into a space that has done a lot of great work on this area already and to be able to build on that and expand on that is very attractive,” Likely said
While Likely explained the importance of ensuring diversity and inclusion within the workplace during his presentation, he also explained how important DEI programs are to the institution as a whole when speaking with The Collegiate.
“It remains a high priority for me,” Likely said. “I see it as a space we need to continue to invest in, continue to invest from a resource allocation, invest from a training and development perspective and continue to put it forth…,” Likely said.
You can read more about GRCC’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on their website. Likely was one of three candidates for the Vice President for People, Culture and Equity along with Marsha Lindsay and Brian Davis.
