Focus on equity and inclusion added to diversity officer role

The University of Iowa is refocusing the role of its top diversity officer when it hires a new associate vice president and executive director for diversity, equity, and inclusion (AVP-DEI).

The new position, formerly known as the chief diversity officer, will focus on advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion as institutional priorities and on coordinating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by faculty, staff, students, and colleagues across campus and within the community.

“We are committed to shifting the paradigm from one focused on diversity to one that encompasses diversity, equity, and inclusion,” says UI President J. Bruce Harreld. “The person selected to fill this position will play a key role in embedding these core values into our day-to-day actions and culture.”

A nationwide search is underway to replace Georgina Dodge, the UI’s former chief diversity officer, who resigned in 2017 for a similar position at Bucknell University. Melissa Shivers, vice president for student life, is serving as interim chief diversity officer.

The AVP-DEI will work with other campus leaders, faculty, staff, and students to identify and pursue opportunities to create and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within each division and foster a campus climate in which all community members are respected, valued, and supported. Some of the specific areas of effort include:

• Recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students from underrepresented U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups;
• Using data to assess and improve campus culture;
• Advocating for students of diverse backgrounds, identities, and experiences; and
• Facilitating a coordinated campus effort regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Equity and inclusion were added as key aspects of the position with the goals of helping address fairness and improving the campus climate, says Claire Fox, search committee co-chair and professor of English.

“It’s a recognition by university leadership that advantages and barriers exist for some members of the campus community, and that the university is working to provide mechanisms to correct and address the imbalance,” Fox says. “It also represents an intentional commitment to promote and sustain a sense of belonging, so the faculty, staff, and students who come to our campus feel welcomed and included in everyday life at this university.”

The search committee will be seeking candidates who:

• Know how to engage with various campus constituents, including faculty, staff, and students;
• Demonstrate a strong history of recruiting, promoting, and retaining diverse faculty, staff, and students; and
• Can accurately evaluate and assess the UI’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and progress, and be able to make and implement effective recommendations for improvement.

The paradigm shift to diversity, equity, and inclusion is positive for the university, says Liz Tovar, search committee co-chair and associate director for academic services in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

“It’s one that implies progressive thinking and action and I think it energizes the individuals on campus and more clearly defines who we are as a university in terms of our strategic goals,” Tovar says.

A 12-member search committee of UI faculty, staff, students, a representative of the Iowa City community, and chaired by Fox and Tovar, was named in August.

The committee selected Isaacson, Miller, Inc. to lead the search. The company most recently assisted with the search that resulted in the hiring of J. Brooks Jackson as the new vice president for medical affairs and dean of the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and is assisting with the search for the next dean of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The committee’s goal is to name a new associate vice president in the spring 2019 semester.