In hopes to create a more diverse campus, the school is seeking out a new, permanent Chief Diversity Officer. Photo by James McIntosh.
The interim chief diversity officer has held the position for 10 months
The University of Rhode Island has begun its search process for hiring a permanent Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), which is an associate vice president role in the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity (CED).
The CED oversees diversity at URI. Its goal, according to its mission statement, is to “create a diverse, equitable and inclusive University in which every individual can learn, work and thrive.” The CDO advises the President on matters of social justice and inclusion on campus.
Mary Grace Almandrez has been acting as the interim CDO since January. Almandrez’s year-long term will come to an end early next year, and URI is looking to ensure the position gets filled. Almandrez could not comment on the hiring process, as she may choose to apply in the permanent role. She has been head of the CED department for 10 months now.
After conducting an external review last fall, CED has worked to create more opportunities for student, faculty and staff input. Almandrez has played a key role in developing more chances for this by holding open office hours weekly and setting up listening tours across campus. According to Almandrez, she spoke to over 500 people from 63 departments at URI.
“If we create pathways for people to engage in diversity in a proactive basis, we won’t have to be reacting to crisis,” Almandrez said. “There are a lot of college campuses that are dealing with issues related to diversity and a lot of times administrators will react to really negative events. We want to create an avenue for people to talk openly about what matters most for them, and we create initiatives that meet those needs.”
Almandrez believes that one of the strengths of the CDO position is having it in the Senior Leadership Team, amongst other vice presidents and directors at the University.
“Having someone at the table with the president and other vice presidents is really critical,” Almandrez said. “If leadership doesn’t model a commitment to diversity, why would the community enact commitment to diversity? Having this position at the senior level is a different level of accountability.”
Vice President of Student Affairs Kathy Collins is chairing the search process for the permanent CDO position.
According to Collins, the CDO position is essential to informing the president on diversity matters, working amongst other members of the senior leadership team to promote on-campus equality and to provide strategic oversight on issues throughout campus.
Currently, according to Collins, the president’s office is developing the CDO search committee. The goal is to hire a permanent CDO by January.
“We will keep the position open until filled,” Collins said. “We really want to make sure that we get the right position, and not focus so much on the timeline, although this is an incredibly important position.”
For Collins, experience in a previous leadership role in higher education and previous experience enhancing diversity is essential in the new candidate. Collaborative working, strong interpersonal communication skills and a master’s degree are also required to apply.
President David Dooley will work closely with the new CDO and believes that hiring the right candidate is essential for the growth of
Dooley released the following statement regarding the position.
“The position of associate vice president/chief diversity officer is central to the University’s mission to continue building a campus culture and community where everyone is welcomed, respected and valued,” the statement said. “The individual selected for this position will be a member of URI’s senior leadership team and will be asked to further lead the University in developing our ability to communicate, understand, and engage productively while embracing and acknowledging differences. We expect this leader to demonstrate in philosophy and action that we welcome the world’s wide diversity of cultures, lifestyles, beliefs, abilities, religions and political systems.”