Reestablishing diversity efforts requires leadership to overcome the false narratives drummed up by state and federal lawmakers aiming to dismantle DEI, says Paullette Granberry Russell, president of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.

"It's building on a lot of myths around diversity as though its singular focus is on race or gender or orientation, which it's not," Russell says on The University Business Podcast. "But it conjures up this idea that undeserving people are taking opportunities away from more deserving people."

Encouraging programming and civil dialogue with conservatives is one important way for chief diversity officers to alleviate skepticism of DEI. However, it can be difficult to find the "sweet spot" in reconciling the views of people who believe this country's systems are fair with those who've historically felt shut out, Russell says.