With the retirement in June of Dartmouth's vice president for institutional diversity and equity, the institution is seizing this moment to elevate the title, portfolio, and reporting line of the new role as a search gets underway to fill the position.
The new senior vice president and chief diversity officer will report to President Philip J. Hanlon '77 and serve as a member of Dartmouth's Senior Leadership Group. To enhance the position's portfolio and improve planning and effectiveness, Dartmouth's Title IX Office, the Inclusive Excellence (IE) project and the Campus Climate and Culture Initiative (C3I) will become part of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity.
Enhancement of the position follows the announcement in July by senior leadership and members of the board of trustees of a series of measures designed to bring about meaningful change at Dartmouth and support change beyond the institution. The senior leaders pledged their support for the growing movement across the nation to put an end to systemic racism and support the Black Lives Matters movement.
IE and C3I are working to promote a more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable learning environment for all students, faculty, and staff. Launched in 2016, IE expanded Dartmouth's focus on diversity and inclusion among staff and faculty, as well as students. C3I, which was created in 2019, follows and expands upon recommendations for institutions of higher education made in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report, Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Matthew Garcia, a professor of history and of Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies, and General Counsel Sandhya Iyer will co-chair the search committee. Garcia said he and Iyer are looking forward to beginning the work.
"This search comes at a critical time of institutional self-reflection and heightened social consciousness regarding issues of equity and inclusivity," says Garcia. "We have an opportunity to find a leader who will ensure that Dartmouth aligns its practices with its message."
The new senior vice president will serve as the thought leader and subject-matter expert responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating Dartmouth's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts as well as leading the institution's compliance on matters of discrimination and harassment. They will work across the institution to deploy evidence-based practices to promote inclusive excellence.
Members of the Dartmouth community are invited to talk about the new role and the qualities they are looking for in the new senior vice president at listening sessions to be held via Zoom on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. Sign up to participate in one of the sessions.
Also on the committee are Renata Baptista, program manager in Student Affairs and Employee Resource Networks; Petra Bonfert-Taylor, professor of engineering and associate dean for diversity and inclusion at Thayer School of Engineering; Nai-Lah Dixon '21; Dia Draper, assistant dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Tuck School of Business; N. Bruce Duthu '80, the Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies; Faith Goodness, chief of staff at Geisel School of Medicine; Eng-Beng Lim, associate professor of women's, gender, and sexuality studies; Roderick Milligan, Tuck '21; Lorin Parker, director of employee relations in Human Resources; Tiffani Sykes, associate athletics director for compliance; and Hilary Tompkins '90, a Dartmouth trustee, and partner in the Hogan Lovells law firm.
The Isaacson Miller search firm will assist the committee. The search committee will make a hiring recommendation to President Hanlon. Officials hope to have the position filled by spring 2021.
Susan Boutwell can be reached at susan.j.boutwell@dartmouth.edu.