UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State is conducting a national search to hire an assistant vice president for diversity, inclusion and belonging in the office of Human Resources, continuing University leadership’s ongoing commitment to fostering and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion.
The new assistant vice president will play a central role in leading the development and implementation of policies, programs and initiatives that create and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment across all of Penn State’s locations. Reporting to Penn State Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer Lorraine Goffe, this position will continue efforts to integrate equity and inclusion into University policies, programs and services, including recruitment, performance management and training programs.
“The hiring of a new assistant vice president for diversity, inclusion and belonging within Human Resources represents the latest step in the University’s longstanding commitment to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for all Penn Staters,” Goffe said. “Penn State is a global leader in higher education with an international community of faculty, students and staff from many different backgrounds, and that diversity enhances and enriches every part of academic, campus and professional life at our University. I look forward to working closely with the successful candidate to continue Penn State’s multi-faceted efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion and empower all members of the Penn State community.”
The search committee to identify candidates for the new assistant vice president role is being chaired by Jennifer Wilkes, assistant vice president for administration for the Commonwealth Campuses.
Responsibilities of the new assistant vice president will include developing and implementing strategies to improve diversity, equity and inclusion and create a culture of belonging; implementing and monitoring metrics to assess the effectiveness of diversity, equity and inclusion-related initiatives, programs and activities; partnering with the director of talent acquisition and hiring managers to develop diverse talent identification, recruitment and retention strategies; partnering with the senior director of talent management to incorporate principles of inclusion in all talent management-related activities; supporting faculty diversity initiatives across the University; and partnering with the Affirmative Action Office in assessing effectiveness of diversity and inclusion-related activities.
The successful candidate will have a bachelor’s degree or higher, at least 10 years of experience in building diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging programs and activities, and experience with analyzing and measuring such programs and activities. The position requires familiarity with laws and legislation related to diversity, equity, inclusion and fair employment practices; and experience communicating with diverse groups of stakeholders and presenting to large groups in various forums. An advanced degree or relevant certification, as well as experience working in a large and complex institution, is preferred.
The hiring of a new assistant vice president for diversity, inclusion and belonging comes at a time when Penn State President Eric Barron has affirmed the University’s unequivocal support of diversity, equity and inclusion. Other ongoing initiatives related to Barron’s efforts include a full review of the student code of conduct, incorporating mandatory bias training for all employees, and creating a Select Penn State Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias and Community Safety. President Barron is also partnering with the Penn State Faculty Senate to incorporate anti-racism and anti-bias coursework into the curriculum for all students and to develop policies and procedures to improve the hiring and retention of underrepresented faculty members.
Full membership of the search committee includes:
- Jennifer Wilkes, associate vice president for administration for Commonwealth Campuses
- Suzanne Adair, associate vice president, Affirmative Action
- Brian Patchcoski, student advocacy manager Student Affairs
- Susan Morse, Human Resources strategic partner, Outreach and World Campus
- Jennifer Clouser, Human Resources specialist, Talent Management