Vice president of Diversity search to enter recruitment phase
The job description for Chapman’s new vice president of Diversity role will be sent to President Daniele Struppa and Provost Glenn Pfeiffer for final review after the Thanksgiving break. Panther Archives
Continuing an effort announced Aug. 29 to promote Chapman’s director of diversity and inclusion role to a vice president position, Dean of Students Jerry Price revealed to The Panther that the university is in its final steps of compiling the job description. This indicates the recruitment process could begin as soon as spring semester and may extend into the summer.
According to Price, after a final round of revisions, the draft will then be sent to Provost Glenn Pfeiffer and President Daniele Struppa for final approval, with the goal of filling the position by the fall 2021 semester. Price and Lawrence Brown, Chapman’s presidential advisor on Faculty Diversification, currently serve as co-chairs of the committee, with other members consisting of staff, faculty and students – including the diversity senator in the Student Government Association, Isaiah Jeannot.
“It’s been a really engaging process, but it’s not simple because these are important issues and a lot of people have lots of different perspectives on what the priorities should be,” Price said. “The worst thing we could do is bring in someone who has opposition before they even start because people felt like they didn’t get an opportunity to weigh in on it.”
Although Price explained he was unable to reveal the details of the candidate qualifications until final review by Struppa and Pfeiffer, he told The Panther that a critical responsibility will include monitoring the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion on campus. He hopes the candidate also possesses a background in the educational field.
“We felt like, for Chapman, it was important that this person have an academic teaching background in addition to their administrative work,” Price said. “Maybe not necessarily a tenured professor somewhere, but someone who knows what it’s like to be in a college environment teaching students.”
In the meantime, Price reflected on ways that administration can more effectively implement immediate change as a result of the Black Student Union (BSU) action plan, which circulated Instagram July 17. Items, including hiring a Black therapist to work with students of color, rehiring the case manager position and working on training requirements for student organizations, are more manageable on a rapid time frame, according to Price. Items that focus on changes in curriculum are left up to faculty discretion.
Price said the university isn’t attempting to address these concerns to assuage the student organization, but instead to seriously consider the underlying issues BSU raised in their action items.
“In some cases, we agree they’re straightforward and they’re something we’re going to pursue… Others, we feel like maybe specific wording doesn’t work for us the same way, but what it’s asking, we’re repurposing it for review,” Price said. “We’re putting in place mechanisms and philosophies and strategies and people that will hopefully be around for a longtime and make a positive difference.”