Xiomara Giordano

The shift towards online education has brought untold benefits for students in terms of accessibility and flexibility. Yet the question of how best to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in virtual spaces still looms large. In her role as Assistant Vice President of DEI and Chief Diversity Officer at the Empire State University, Xiomara Giordano has championed a transformative approach to fostering equity and an environment that is fair for all. 

Max Webber, Co-Host of The Interview, sat down with Xiomara to discuss the unique challenges faced by online institutions and the best methods for cultivating an inclusive learning community.

Xiomara's Journey

Max: Let’s start with a brief introduction to yourself and your institution. 

My name is Xiomara Giordano, and I use she/they and elle/ella pronouns. I’m Afro-Indigenous and an unregistered member of the Taíno Nation. I’m privileged to hold the position of Assistant Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at the Empire State University. Our university is one of the 64 institutions in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, but Empire State distinguishes itself as the only public online institution in the state. At any given time, we have between eight and ten thousand students, from associate degrees all the way up to doctorates.

Max: What attracted you to pursue a career in Student Affairs?

I’ve always been driven between two priorities: on the one hand, I’ve always had a thirst for knowledge, but on the other, I’m guided by a strong sense of justice, ethics, and equity. This work allows me to fill both those buckets – to constantly learn, to teach, and learn through teaching. I’m a first-generation student, so I understand the value that people like me can bring to an institution. I work in solidarity with others who are trying to achieve the same goal, and that keeps me motivated and focused. 

Max: As an online institution, what’s your strategy for fostering a positive environment that is inclusive and engaging for all students?

As an online university, we need to be nuanced. We don’t have a brick-and-mortar campus, so we don’t see students face-to-face every day. So we need to work intentionally and creatively. We try to maintain open communication channels, so we do a lot of work on Teams, allowing us the flexibility to connect with students and faculty. But we also use proactive security measures to ensure that students can communicate safely and their privacy is protected. We have very strong accessibility services that offer wraparound support for students, from counseling to academic advising. All of these services are delivered online; our aim is to create a digital community that can offer the same support as a physical campus. To build that community, we create opportunities for students to come together. For example, we have a number of affinity groups, and my office holds monthly sessions called Reason and Respect, which allow students to discuss social issues, develop understanding, and share their perspectives.

Max: We live in an increasingly polarized political landscape. How do you encourage students to reach out and speak across the divide?

It’s really important for us to foster constructive dialogue. We tell students that there are spaces for debate, where you explore two opposing views, and then there are places for dialogue, where you come to share your experience and understand others. We encourage students to engage in respectful dialogue, establish ground rules for public forums, and provide structured discussions with guest speakers and moderators. We also stress empathy, perspective-taking, and seeing the point of view of others. One thing I always say to students is “Be soft on the person, but hard on the topic.” When you feel strongly about an issue, you need to remember the person on the other side is a human being, too. Additionally, we share the importance of utilizing diverse resources. We train students to ask, “Where am I getting my information? Can this source be trusted?” Most importantly, we model positive communication behavior. When someone says something you disagree with, you shouldn’t shut them down; instead, you try to understand where they’re coming from and why they feel that way. 

Max: In an online environment, it can be difficult to reach everyone. How do you make sure all students get engaged in these key issues?

It’s a challenge everywhere. I’ve worked at a lot of different institutions, from small liberal arts colleges to large R1 research universities. At brick-and-mortar colleges, we used to get people through the door with free food – but that’s not an option for an online institution! We have a really diverse student body, and our age range is from seventeen to eighty. So it’s difficult to find that sweet spot where everybody can get engaged. We try to create more opportunities to get involved, holding listening sessions in different time slots, from early in the morning to late in the evening. It’s about making space for as many students to show up as possible. We try different things to make sure that our key messages get across to everyone. We create project pages to share key information with students, such as details about speakers or timelines for university initiatives. 

Max: The student experience has changed greatly since the pandemic. How are you trying to engage students on topics outside of the classroom?

One of the things we learned from the pandemic is that we all have levels of risk that we aren’t prepared for. So we’re trying to broaden our focus beyond traditional academic study to create a holistic approach to learning. That’s based on key three pillars: mental health, financial aid and literacy, and health and wellness. To support that, we offer students free 24/7 access to online mental health resources, as well as workshops on topics like financial planning and food insecurity. 

Max: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t offer what you can’t give freely and fully. People who are drawn to this work are highly driven, and it’s easy to over-promise. But that only leads to disappointment: you burn yourself out, and the people you made promises to lose trust in you. If you can’t do something, just say so. You can’t fix everything – sometimes you need to give people the agency to help themselves instead.