Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Justice

Mount Saint Mary’s University

Search for the Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Justice

Los Angeles, California

Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU), the only Catholic liberal arts university primarily for women in the western United States, seeks an experienced and strategic relationship builder to serve as their inaugural Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Justice (VPEDJ). Reporting to the President, this role will capitalize on institutional momentum to promote a culture of open dialogue, increase the diversity of faculty, students, and staff, augment student access and success efforts, and create a more equitable and inclusive environment for all through a social justice lens. 

Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the University is known nationally for its research on gender equity, its innovative health and science programs, and its commitment to community service and global justice. MSMU is renowned for increasing social mobility of its graduates, building leadership skills, offering a dynamic learning experience in both the liberal arts and sciences, and fostering a spirit to serve others in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. MSMU is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution in the heart of Los Angeles and is one of the most diverse universities in the nation. It provides year-round, flexible and online programs at the undergraduate and graduate level.  Their unique degree programs for busy adults (the Weekend/Evening & Online College) as well as their graduate programs are offered to both women and men. MSMU serves approximately 3,000 students, including approximately 600 graduate students. The Chalon Campus houses the majority of traditionally aged undergraduate students, while just 16 miles away near downtown Los Angeles, the Doheny Campus is home to additional academic offerings, including graduate education. The Chalon campus is in the Brentwood neighborhood overlooking the Santa Monica Mountains and Pacific Ocean; the Doheny campus is centrally located to all that downtown Los Angeles has to offer.

The VPEDJ will be joining the university at a time of great anticipation for the next phase of MSMU’s history as the university recently adopted an aspirational strategic plan, Educating Leaders for the Next Century, which both looks to the future to expand opportunity and increase innovative thinking for its students, and understands the role equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice play in the university’s ability to cultivate thoughtful inquiry and develop leaders. Expanding on its global justice roots, the university is recommitting to its leading role as a champion of belonging within higher education with the goal of becoming an anti-racist institution through representation and inclusive excellence. The VPEDJ will lead and inform the strategic discussion advancing equity, diversity, and justice across the university and, working closely with the President and other key university leaders, will guide, assess, and institutionalize policies and practices that encourage belonging, equity, access, and justice as a means of improving the university’s cultural climate. This inaugural leader will provide vision around the alignment of initiatives and build a sense of shared accountability to this work, empowering others to carry out this work in meaningful and impactful ways while fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and openness. In doing so, the Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Justice will be expected to address the following opportunities and challenges:

• Building the foundation of CSJ values, develop a vision and strategy for equity, diversity, and justice in alignment with the strategic plan to become an anti-racist institution
• Work closely with the university community on the recruitment and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff to better align with the diversity of the region and promote inclusive excellence
• Foster and nurture a culture of open dialogue and trust
• Augment and align university initiatives for an even greater impact
• Foster and expand community partnerships to increase MSMU’s visibility and outreach 

Mount Saint Mary’s has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. For more details, including the full position profile and to submit inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications, please see the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: www.imsearch.com/7967. Electronic submission of materials is required.

Lindsay Gold and Belen Gutierrez

Isaacson, Miller

1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300

San Francisco, CA  94111

Phone: 415.655.4900

Mount Saint Mary’s University is an equal opportunity employer. The University is thoroughly committed both to providing equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees, and to providing a work environment that is free from harassment, discrimination and retaliation.