Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Edgewood College is seeking a Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (VPDEI) to align and extend the College’s Dominican mission with its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The VPDEI will be a forward-looking and inclusive leader who possesses a deep commitment to Edgewood College’s Catholic and Dominican mission and its community of learners who seek a world of justice and compassion. As a Catholic university, Edgewood welcomes diversity and is pluralistic and inclusive.

The Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (VPDEI) advances the work of the College in planning, development and implementation of efforts to enhance all aspects of diversity. Reporting to the President, the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be a key partner to the President and the Cabinet, ensuring that inclusion is a college-wide mission driven initiative that cultivates an inclusive teaching and learning environment where all feel welcome.

This individual will serve as a central resource for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts; create a strategic framework to guide existing DEI work across campus and identify opportunities for growth; design constructive community programming; and serve as a strategic advisor to other campus offices. The successful candidate will be a collaborative, optimistic, and forward-thinking subject matter expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the demonstrated ability to lead community-wide coordination and engage empathetically across differences.

The primary work location for this position is on-site.

Strategic Diversity Initiatives

• Responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating comprehensive institutional diversity programs and college-wide, multifaceted inclusion and diversity initiatives to support the College’s commitment to diversity, inclusiveness, accessibility, and equal opportunity.
• Create an annual report on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• As needed, develops inclusion planning templates and other material for the purposes of implementing the college-wide diversity and inclusion plan.
• Coordinates progress toward reaching the College’s diversity and inclusion goals.
• Works in partnership with College Leadership and Campus community to ensure inclusion is a priority integrated in the College’s Academic, Strategic and other related plans.

Student Recruitment and Retention Initiatives

• Collaborate with the Admissions Office and Learning Support Services in support of efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented students.
• Collaborate with the Advancement Office in identifying and developing grant and scholarship opportunities that further enhance funding for student diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Collaborate with campus partners to create and grow precollege and pipeline programs that ultimately lead to new student recruitment.

Employee Diversity-Partnering with Human Resources Office 

• Partner with Human Resources to assist in the onboarding process of new faculty and staff to ensure inclusion and the mission of Edgewood is an integral component of new employee orientation.
• Provide recurring educational opportunities on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging topics that encourage the institution to become better versed in issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Lead the Bias Assessment Team in partnership with the Student Development and Human Resources.
• Chair and coordinate the BIPOC Support Network, ensuring faculty and staff of color feel supported on campus.

Administration and College Service

• Manage the budget for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and manage any special funds or grants, scholarship dollars, office correspondences, annual reports, and office records.
• Partner with the Provost and College Community members to develop regular assessments of programs and services that address the College’s Inclusion Plan.
• Stay abreast of current trends in higher education and the needs of traditionally underrepresented students and employees.
• Manage and maintain content on diversity.edgewood.edu
• Engage local Community Based Organizations that support underrepresented populations.

• Master’s degree in Education, Higher Education/Student Affairs or related field
• Experience working with and advocating for historically underrepresented populations.
• Experience collaborating with faculty and staff across an organization.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, judgment, and a demonstrated ability to collaborate, communicate and build coalitions with a wide range of individuals.
• Strong presentation skills
• Experience with diversity, equity and inclusion work in higher education strongly preferred.
• Experience co-creating programs with students and leading strategic initiatives with college partners.
• Knowledge of and relevant experience in integrating diversity, equity & antiracist efforts into student life
• Ability to identify and deploy best practices to enhance the student experience.