'The Michigan Online experience is a great extension of the real-world experience on campus'

Sean Corp, Content Strategist

When University of Michigan alumnus Marcus Harris was hired as the diversity and economic opportunity manager for the city of Sandusky, he wanted to ground his work in the latest academic and evidence-based practices. 

He graduated from U-M with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2001. He experienced twists and turns in his career path, and by 2019 was working in youth development and training programs in Cuyahoga County in Ohio. In September 2021, he started his role with the city of Sandusky with the city about to begin a DEI strategic plan in the new year.

That is when Harris said he set about looking for learning opportunities to help him excel in his role and maximize the impact of the city's strategic plan. 

He is not only in charge of setting goals and implementing DEI programs. He said his job is to fight for economic empowerment and workforce development for Sandusky residents.

"I wanted to enhance my work experience as a DE&I practitioner with a more solid foundation on the academic side of the work," Harris said. 

That is when he turned to his alma mater and enrolled in "Leading Diverse Teams and Organizations," an online course created by Lindy Greer, a professor of management and organizations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. 

Ross is home to one of the top undergraduate business programs in the world, and Harris said he was excited to find an online resource from the prestigious business school. 

"The Michigan Online experience is a great extension of the real-world experience on campus," Harris said. "If someone is looking to enhance their understanding of DE&I, there's no better place to look than to the Leaders and the Best."

The course provides learners with practical tools to help design and lead diverse, equitable and inclusive teams. It explores topics like cultivating a diversity mindset, facing personal challenges, establishing organizational equity and achieving team inclusion. 

Harris said he appreciated the thorough, evidence-based approach to difficult and important topics. The ability to cite peer-reviewed science helped him with buy-in as the city developed and implemented its strategic plan.  

"The course is a starting point for the DE&I learning journey. It gives you the tools necessary to implement a DE&I program in your organization, and the research foundation to validate the approach. This course was rooted in peer reviewed science and best practices which gives validity to the work when faced with pushback from leaders in your organization, or outside of it."

In the end, Harris said the course had a significant impact. Through his work and the tools he learned, he said it would also positively impact the residents he is there to serve. 

"The course has already had a major impact on my career. We received extremely positive feedback from other DE&I professionals during our strategic plan, and my participation in the U-M course was a direct result of that."

Leading Diverse Teams & Organizations

4 weeks

Course

In this new course, you'll gain evidence-based knowledge and practical tools to help you design and lead diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) teams and organizations.…