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A desirable societal goal may not imply a common understanding of that goal. As organizations seek to foster inclusion through a focus on diversity, understanding the operational definition employed by stakeholders becomes important. This study focuses on how candidates applying for employment address their diversity-related qualifications when specifically asked to do so. A model-driven qualitative coding system is used to characterize the diversity-related terminology in the cover letters of 111 applicants to a post-doctoral faculty fellowship position at a research university open to all academic disciplines. Applicants describe their strengths related to developing diversity-related curriculum and scholarship, aiding the recruitment and retention of a broad range of students and faculty, and establishing community partnerships to advance diversity. The analysis of applicants’ letters indicates that applicants refer to …