Associate Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer

Associate Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer

SUNY POTSDAM

SUNY Potsdam invites applications for the role of Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) and Associate Vice President, a full-time role that oversees the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and reports directly to the President of the College. The CDO is responsible for providing a vision and an integrated program of equity and inclusion efforts to enhance SUNY Potsdam’s mission and goals. Responsible for developing, implementing, and providing strategic leadership for SUNY Potsdam’s Diversity Plan, the CDO oversees programs and policies that result in a learning and workplace environment that is welcoming, supportive, and inclusive for all students, faculty, and staff. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated leadership in cooperatively creating and delivering organization-wide diversity and equity programs; the proven ability to establish effective partnerships with community members, organizations, and government entities; and the ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders and to engage with and incorporate the voices of students and student groups, particularly those who have been marginalized. 

About SUNY Potsdam:

SUNY Potsdam, located in Potsdam NY is part of the State University of New York system, a selective, nationally recognized and accredited public institution that is committed to student success. Potsdam is a mission driven institution that prepares students to act as engaged global citizens and to lead lives enriched by critical thought, creativity and discovery. As an inclusive scholarly community, rooted in our historic role in providing exemplary teacher and music education and our leadership in the fine and performing arts, we are committed to the liberal arts and sciences as an academic foundation for all students. With an abiding sense of responsibility to our region and to the world beyond, SUNY Potsdam fosters an appreciation of and respect for the variety of human experience. 

SUNY Potsdam is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to promoting diversity and inclusiveness at every level of the university. Persons of all genders, persons with disabilities, and persons of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

About the position:

Reporting directly to the President, and serving on her Cabinet, the CDO provides leadership to ensure SUNY Potsdam is continuously working toward a campus environment and student outcomes that foster belonging, and are inclusive, equitable, and reflective of its loftiest ideals as expressed in its mission as a residential, liberal arts community.

While excellent visionary, facilitation, change management, and leadership skills are expected, this position will also directly engage with students, faculty, and staff to provide programming and create new opportunities for deep and sustained inclusive engagement and experiences. The ability to develop effective ongoing dialogue and collaboration with multiple and diverse constituents is an essential quality.

It is the expectation of the campus community that this position will:

Connect: The CDO will be someone who is able to proactively engage, communicate with, and inspire constituents across campus, from its most senior faculty to its newest staff members, from its diverse students to its highly visible trustees. The CDO will ensure Potsdam provides an inclusive experience for all of the students and employees it serves. They will bring with them credentials, experiences, and a personal manner that facilitates this breadth of authentic engagement across the campus.

Build: The CDO will – in collaboration with the President, Cabinet, and the broader campus community – build the structures, processes, policies, and assessment measures necessary to center inclusion within the institution and to ensure all community members have the needed foundational knowledge and support to be inclusive in their daily work. The position will work closely with campus constituents to facilitate, benchmark, and implement an inclusion plan that outlines and achieves success for everyone in the Potsdam community. 

Facilitate: By developing needed structures and processes, along with a dynamic process of educating the community, the CDO will facilitate an environment that equips people across campus to lead with inclusive excellence at the forefront of their thinking and action. The community will learn from the CDO how to move the institution forward and then do the work alongside the CDO. 

Advocate: The CDO will not only help the community to understand best practices as they relate to inclusion, diversity, equity, and justice, but they will also advocate for and lead change management initiatives in order to implement those practices across the campus. In addition, they will also advocate for those community members who need support, and be a trusted resource in the face of challenging moments.

Support and Lead Change: The CDO will support the community as a whole, as well as individuals, on their journey to become inclusive, actively work towards justice, and enable the institution to be equitable in action and will.

The successful candidate must be an exceptional visionary and able to attend to the details of implementing multiple, complex strategies. Personally, this leader must be able to engage with all constituents openly, supportively, and with an eye toward how every encounter facilitates Potsdam becoming a transformative and inclusive institution.

It is expected that the CDO will:

• Be a passionate educator, able to lead all members of the community in an institution-wide professional development effort focused on inclusion, diversity, and equity.
• Identify and support the implementation of best practices and the deconstruction of barriers to inclusion-related student success.
• Partner with Academic Affairs to support inclusive faculty professional development that ensures the academic enterprise is a model of inclusive pedagogy.
• Partner with Student Affairs to support inclusion in all areas of students’ experiences and to enhance student belonging.
• Partner with administrative leadership, as well as Human Resources, to facilitate the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty and staff.
• Oversee, support, and coordinate the work of several committees, programs, offices, and individuals currently addressing issues of inclusion and diversity on campus.
• Provide leadership for their team, and ensure the DEI work and organizational structure are aligned in order to maximize impact.
• Work with student leadership groups to develop their ability to advocate for inclusion and to lead inclusively.
• Establish robust metrics to track progress in achieving inclusion goals.
• In partnership with Institutional Advancement, identify and solicit external funding to support inclusion on campus and within the surrounding region.
• Develop and supervise a team of student, faculty, and staff advisors to support the work of the CDO.
• Lead campus efforts on Title IX and EEO compliance.

Required qualifications:

• A master’s degree in a field related to the goals of the position; terminal degree or equivalent work experience strongly preferred.
• Proven success as a leader, with experience appropriate to a highly visible senior leadership role, experience in a residential, liberal arts higher education institution preferred.
• Fluency in the principles and language of equity, inclusivity, diversity, justice, and anti-racism as they relate to higher education.
• Evidence of building and managing successful partnerships with faculty or other thought leaders.
• Experience working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders to facilitate change and as an organizational change agent and planner.
• Proven success at engaging multiple campus constituents and building strong, collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, and students.
• Demonstrated expertise in building an inclusive community that provides enhanced outcomes for all community members; knowledgeable of the history and present state of anti-blackness and current literature on anti-racism; knowledgeable about challenges faced by the LGBTQ+, Indigenous, Latino/a/x students, and awareness of the needs of disabled students, students from different religions, and those of low socio-economic status.
• Experience utilizing data to inform planning and decision-making with a results-oriented mindset.
• Experience leveraging high impact, low resourced programs with grant writing and budget management.
• Impeccable interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written, and strong emotional intelligence.
• Ability to lead, manage, and motivate diverse constituent perspectives.
• Proven success at responding with compassion, care, and an educative lens during moments of crisis.
• Passion for the values of a residential, liberal arts education for students.
• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive matters.

Application instructions:

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and a statement of their vision of the role of the DDEI in higher education, plus contact information for five references to the SUNY Potsdam online recruiting system. Candidates should include in their cover letters a demonstrated interest in and understanding of SUNY Potsdam, and evidence of how their experience and skills can help make the institution a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus community. Review of applications will begin February 1, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled.