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Posted: 11-Jul-23
Location: Milton, Massachusetts
Employment Type:
Organization Type:
Required Education:
About Curry College:
Founded in 1879, Curry College is a private, four-year, liberal arts-based institution in Milton Massachusetts. In addition to the main campus classes for adult learners are also offered at our campus at Cordage Park in historic Plymouth. Curry College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Curry College offers 25 undergraduate majors, over 70 minors and concentrations, as well as five graduate programs.
The Curry College mission is to educate and graduate students prepared to engage in successful careers and active citizenship with a global perspective. We are an inclusive community of diverse learners and educators, committed to continuing our legacy of developing effective communicators with reflective and critical thinking skills. We mentor and empower our students, building meaningful relationships that inspire them to achieve their ambitions.
Curry College provides rigorous and relevant academic programs to undergraduate and graduate students, and our rich blend of liberal arts and career-directed programs is enhanced by practical field experiences and co-curricular activities. Learning at Curry extends beyond the classroom and is embedded in all that we do.
Diversity and a culture of equity and inclusion among students, faculty and staff are crucial to the mission statement of Curry College.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sex identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable state and federal law, including Title IX.
Job Description:
The Role of the Chief Diversity Officer at Curry
Reporting to the President and serving as a member of the Executive Team of the College, the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) provides vision, strategic leadership and direction to guide all diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) programming and initiatives. The CDO aligns all DEIB programming with the College's mission, vision, and strategic plan. In consultation with the entire campus community, the CDO articulates a vision around diversity, equity and inclusion and provides leadership, concrete steps, counsel, advocacy and a point of connection with all aspects of the college in achieving that vision.
The CDO works collaboratively with all College stakeholders to strengthen a culture that promotes and embraces diversity in all forms, and stands against racism and bigotry, hate, intolerance, and lack of civility.
The CDO has responsibility to:
- develop and implement a DEIB strategic plan that is aligned with the College's mission and strategic plan;
- develop a campus-wide equity scorecard to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Curry College DEIB strategic plan;
- provide leadership in the assessment of institutional climate and diversity initiatives, using data to drive changes that support DEIB for students, staff and faculty;
- establish and strengthen a culture that promotes DEIB for all cultures, ethnicities, abilities, and identities throughout Curry College;
- provide comprehensive leadership and planning for all students, faculty and staff on cultural competency education, equity-minded professional development and ally training;
- work in conjunction with faculty, and students to address equity and inclusion within the classroom and throughout the campus community and encourage the development of curricula that are appropriately inclusive in content and method;
- oversee the development of data benchmarking, and cross campus messaging on DEIB issues.
Key Priorities
The CDO will form strategic alliances with the following areas to build strong and influential relationships critical to the success of the position to achieve the following:
Executive team - CDO will: provide support and guidance to the Executive team in developing and implementing organization-wide DEIB plans; and tools to measure the outcomes of such plans.
Student Affairs VP & Dean, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement & Diversity, Director of Diversity Center - CDO will:
- create a more inclusive and diverse campus environment numerically, intellectually, and culturally;
- collaborate with campus partners to assess and support the college's strengths and needs and build high-quality programming that works to enhance the climate and culture for all Curry students.
Vice President, Human Resources - CDO will collaborate to:
- expand cultural competencies in DEIB by designing and delivering educational programs for employees to broaden their understanding of DEIB topics and constructs and to build an inclusive environment; and develop tools to assess outcomes of such programs;
- evaluate and modify management practices, policies and programs to be more inclusive e.g., partner with hiring managers (faculty and staff) to prevent bias in the hiring process;
- partner with managers and leaders in identifying inclusive practices that support recruitment and retention of faculty and staff from a broad range of backgrounds.
Provost - the CDO will:
- foster the development of inclusive curricula and pedagogy;
- sponsor and/or provide DEIB professional development trainings for faculty and staff in Academic Affairs;
- partner with search committee chairs and members in identifying and implementing inclusive practices that support the recruitment of faculty from a broad range of backgrounds;
- partner with Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, and Coordinators in identifying and implementing inclusive practices that foster the retention of faculty;
- work closely with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to collect, analyze, interpret, disseminate DEIB data.
Responsibilities also include the following:
- Foster a strong sense of respect for all cultures, ethnicities, disabilities, and identities throughout Curry College;
- Review, evaluate and communicate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the effectiveness of current diversity and inclusion strategies including the anti-racism plans, making recommendations on best practices and proposing new programs and initiatives where appropriate;
- Supervise the design, development, and delivery of training and professional development programs, events that assist faculty, staff and students in achieving the college's diversity and inclusion vision;
- Oversee the Diversity Committee and solicit guidance from the community on how to expand social justice initiatives and diversity programming;
- Collaborate with campus partners to design and introduce employee resource groups (ERGs);
- Direct a team (number to be determined) by setting goals, managing expectations and performance, managing work allocation, problem resolution and motivating staff to achieve results;
- Motivate employees to achieve results and encourage professional growth. The CDO also manages the selection, employment, compensation and evaluation of staff;
- Develop, monitor and reconcile the departmental budget.
Campus & External Presence
- The CDO will maintain a consistent presence on campus to role model behaviors, lead DEIB efforts and engage the community in activities on campus;
- The CDO will serve as an external DEIB ambassador, representing Curry College throughout local, state, national, and international regions.
Requirements:
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will be a proactive and strategic advocate, partner, and leader who will develop constructive relationships with all constituent groups that are part of the Curry community. The most successful candidate will possess organizational, business and political acumen, strategic DEIB experience (5- 7 years), a proven track record of successfully advancing DEIB initiatives, and the energy, enthusiasm, and drive to achieve ambitious College goals.
While no single candidate will likely have all the ideal qualifications, candidates should possess many of the following qualifications and characteristics:
- A master's or a doctorate in organizational leadership, organizational psychology, human resources or equivalent terminal degree.
- Proven ability to serve as an executive and provide visionary strategic leadership; experience guiding the implementation of a strategic plan, establishing metrics, measuring progress, and adapting as necessary.
- A track record of leadership in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (including race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship status, physical and psychological ability, socio-economic background, etc.) among students, faculty, administrators, staff, and other constituents at higher education institutions, and in both domestic and global contexts.
- Success as a thought leader and intellectual catalyst on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
- Demonstrated ability to drive change within a complex organization similar to Curry College, preferably in an institution of higher education.
- Ability to articulate the vision for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, & belonging at Curry College to both internal constituencies and external audiences.
- Familiarity with, and engagement in, scholarly activities, such as research, publishing, and assessment, and knowledge of the faculty life cycle.
- Excellent interpersonal and public communication skills, including effective messaging to multiple and diverse audiences through multiple media formats (including oral presentation, written communication, digital communications, etc.).
- Strong track record in effectively developing and managing budgets, as well as experience soliciting and securing external funding to advance strategic initiatives.
- Strong track record of recruiting talent and effectively managing teams of both direct reports and ad hoc working groups, including student government and identity-based student groups.
- Ability to be a collaborator and a convener, to work with judiciousness and diplomacy, and the capacity to build bridges and consensus.
- Familiarity with and a record of successfully promoting the adoption of best practices in inclusive pedagogy.
Additional Information:
Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, Curry College will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.
At the College's discretion, the education and experience prerequisites may be excepted where the candidate can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the College, an equivalent combination of education and experience specifically preparing the candidate for success in the position.
Employment in this position is contingent upon the successful completion of all required pre-employment background checks.
Inquiries about the application of Title IX can be directed to the College's Title IX Coordinator, Elizabeth Canning at elizabeth.canning@curry.edu, (617) 979-3516, or King Academic Administration Building, 55 Atherton St, or US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights ("OCR") - Boston Office, 5 Post Office Square, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109-3921, (617) 289-0111.
Application Instructions:
All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Please apply online at https://www.curry.edu/about-us/community-resources/employment/job-opportunities for consideration. Interested applicants must submit (as separate documents) the following:
- a letter of interest addressing the responsibilities and requirements described in the Leadership Profile;
- a resume or CV.
