Chief Diversity Officer

The Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) is an essential member of the campus community who leads and coordinates the College’s strategic and inclusive approach to diversity in all aspects of College life, focusing on inclusion, educational and employment equity, affirmative action, cultural understanding, cultural competency, and civil and human rights. The CDO reports to the President and is a member of the President’s cabinet. The CDO works collaboratively with the members of the President’s cabinet, deans, associate vice presidents, directors, College committees, faculty, staff, students, and external constituents in advancing diversity and equity as core value of the College. The CDO raises the visibility and enhances institutional diversity efforts; clarifies goals and assesses progress; and provides expertise on issues of access, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The CDO works to increase the representativeness of the faculty, staff, and students through active recruitment and retention efforts so that Buffalo State can truly reflect diversity in all its forms.

Responsibilities:
The Chief Diversity Officer is responsible for: advancing the College’s mission and goals related to diversity, equity, affirmative action, inclusion, and human rights by implementing existing programs, policies, and initiatives and by developing and implementing new strategies and initiatives; seeking opportunities to increase resources for the College’s mission and goals in these areas; for providing leadership and direction on workforce issues by serving as a cooperative and strategic partner, working collaboratively with all stakeholders, in an institutional culture of shared governance; developing, recommending, and actively participating in the implementation of policies and programs to promote recruitment, retention, and equitable treatment of diverse students, faculty, and staff; and serving as the College’s Title IX coordinator.
• Provide oversight responsibilities for:
o Compliance with College employment policies, programs, and guidelines.
o Compliance with state and federal laws and regulations relating to equal employment, affirmative action, and diversity matters.
o Interpreting and analyzing data measuring the effectiveness of diversity-related programs and reporting on the progress toward strategic diversity-related goals.
o Investigation of complaints of alleged discrimination.
o Reporting of information on equal opportunity, affirmative action, human rights, and anti-harassment at the College.

Buffalo State College

Buffalo State College has been part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system since its founding in 1948, and is the largest comprehensive college in the SUNY system. Always a
leader in teacher education, the College now hosts four schools—Arts and Humanities, Education, Natural and Social Sciences, and the School of the Professions—and offers 140 undergraduate programs with 11 honors options and over 60 highly regarded graduate programs.

The faculty at Buffalo State has been commended as a “major source of excellence” by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The faculty excels in teaching, research and service. Students find their professors very approachable and accessible.

The College is committed to access, excellence and respect for diversity and individual differences. There is a strong commitment by faculty and staff to educate and empower a diverse population of students to succeed as citizens of a challenging world.

The total student population is approximately 12,000, which includes over 2,000 graduate students. There are about 90,000 alumni of record. The college has a long history of excellence in NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics and has received national recognition for its scholar athletes.

During the last fifteen years, the College has enjoyed a prolonged period of stability and growth. The student academic profile has improved, the enrollment has increased, and so too has the number of full-time faculty. Moreover, the campus has benefited from numerous capital improvements, including the construction of the new $33 million Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State. The College is in the midst of a $350 million construction program that features the building of a science and mathematics complex, a technology center, as well as a newly landscaped quadrangle that enhances what is already a beautiful campus featuring an arboretum and works of art.

Required Qualifications:
Master’s degree or terminal degree from an accredited institution; demonstrated record of developing, implementing, and evaluating initiatives in a higher education setting; demonstrated knowledge and experience of laws and regulations relating to equal employment, affirmative action, compliance and diversity matters; demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively with constituencies to build consensus on diversity-related efforts; technical expertise in affirmative action reporting and data analysis; demonstrated problem solving, conflict resolution, complaint management, verbal and written communication skills, and interpersonal skills; and demonstrated negotiation, organizational, and strategic planning skills.

Preferred Qualifications:
Demonstrated ability to investigate and analyze complaints of alleged discrimination while maintaining objectivity and fairness and while treating confidential matters responsibly; demonstrated command of all aspects of diversity issues in higher education, including recruitment and retention issues, identity development, access and equity, diversifying the curriculum, assessing the educational impact of diversity, measuring the campus climate, and the policy and legal dynamics of affirmative action and diversity in higher education; strong analytical skills, including ability to work with qualitative and quantitative data; Demonstrated ability to work effectively in shared governance; and a successful record of collaboration and partnerships with the external stakeholders and the larger community.

The Search Process

Review of candidates will begin immediately and continue until a Chief Diversity Officer is appointed. Only submissions received by March 14 can be assured full consideration. Applications should include a cover letter that describes how the applicant’s experiences match the characteristics required in the Chief Diversity Officer , and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities described in this institutional profile, a résumé or curriculum vitae, and a list of five references with contact information. Nominations and expressions of interest will be treated in confidence; references will not be contacted without prior approval of the candidate. Electronic applications and nominations (preferably in MS Word) should be sent to: BuffaloState@academic-search.com. Confidential discussions about this opportunity can be obtained by contacting the search consultant listed below.

Dr. Jessica Kozloff, President
Academic Search, Inc.
480-528-0119
jsk@academic-search.com
and
Dr. Marie McDemmond, Senior Consultant
Academic Search, Inc.
305-331-7327
mvm@academic-search.com

Buffalo State is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and committed to respect for diversity and individual differences.