Assistant Director for the Office of Inclusion and Diversity
- Employer
- Bennington College
- Location
- Bennington, Vermont
View more
- Executive Administration Jobs
- C-Level & Executive Directors, Other Executive Administration
- Administrative Jobs
- Institutional & Business Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Bennington College, a liberal arts college distinguished for its pioneering initiatives in higher education, is seeking an enthusiastic and culturally competent individual to fill the role of Assistant Director for the Office of Inclusion and Diversity. This office oversees and coordinates Bennington’s effort to promote diversity and inclusivity across all relevant stakeholders and institutional functions. Reporting to the Vice President for institutional Inclusion, Equity, and Leadership Development, the Assistant Director will be responsible for such tasks as developing and delivering training to diverse college constituencies (including students, faculty, and staff); facilitating intergroup dialogue sessions; overseeing programming (e.g., film/speaker series) related to community-building; maintaining and disseminating resources for increased understanding of equity and pluralism; and related tasks, as assigned. The Assistant Director will foster an inclusive and welcoming learning and working climate, and serve as a resource and collaborator to different campus constituencies in the areas of intergroup relations, diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice education. In conjunction with the Vice President, the person in this role be involved in measuring the effectiveness of initiatives and in disseminating best practices through professional networks and national venues.
Bennington serves a diverse student population - inclusive of ethnic/racial minorities, international and global constituents, sexual minorities, and various social classes, among other identities. Our staff and faculty also reflect diverse backgrounds and identities. All employees are expected to be respectful and responsive to these differences in the service of building community that promotes student and employee success. Each individual (faculty, staff and students) will be accountable for upholding these values. The College’s approach to pluralism and inclusivity—both as fields of inquiry and practice—is to prioritize flexible thought, and to invite the examination of access, value, and power through its institutional policies and areas of study. We encourage applicants from diverse realms of interest, backgrounds, experience, and accomplishment to apply.
Qualifications:
A Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Organizational Science, Higher Education, and five years relevant work experience, or a Master’s degree in a field appropriate to the area of assignment with 1-2 years of relevant work experience.
Domain knowledge and skills in the area of intergroup relations and social justice.
Strong leadership and team-building skills, as well as group facilitation skills.
Well-developed interpersonal skills and excellent oral and written communication, attention to detail.
Ability to work well with students, faculty, and staff from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities.
Demonstrated success in delivery of training related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Proficiency in relevant technology/software (e.g., presentation, communication, statistical analyses tools).
The College
Bennington College is a small residential liberal arts college in southern Vermont, long distinguished for its progressive approach to higher education. The College was founded in 1932 on the principle of active engagement in learning, which is manifest in individualized plans of study developed by students together with faculty. We serve a diverse student population, and our faculty and staff also reflect diverse backgrounds and identities. Our aim is to educate students towards self-fulfillment and constructive social purposes, and we believe that equity, diversity, and inclusivity--in community and in curriculum--are vital to achieving those aims.
Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont, the campus consists of approximately 370 acres. The College was named one of ten with the best architecture by Architectural Digest. From campus, it is a short drive to the cultural offerings of the northern Berkshires in Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and many of Vermont’s top recreational centers. New York City, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont are all within three and a half hours by car.
Application Note: As part of the application process, candidates should address previous contributions to community-building and anticipated contributions in this arena at Bennington College.
Organization
The principle of learning by practice underlies every major feature of a Bennington education: the master-apprentice model of teaching and learning; the requirement that students direct the course of their own education; the winter Field Work Term, which gives students work experience and connects them to the greater community. The College's commitment to learning across the disciplines extends to the faculty, who teach what is uppermost in their minds, exploring new pursuits as well as ongoing areas of study and work. Bennington is grounded in the conviction that as a college education develops students' professional capacities, it should also prepare them to be deeply thoughtful and actively engaged citizens of the world.
A Bennington education—and Bennington College itself—holds several principles in creative tension: freedom and responsibility; individuality and community; independence and collaboration; reflection and action; rigor and expression; excellence, resilience, and an impulse toward meaning and truth. These elements are the constants at an institution that seeks, through ongoing inquiry, to always sustain and exercise its capacity for renewal.
From its earliest beginnings, the College tended to draw a different kind of faculty to its gates-innovators and experimenters. On these lawns Martha Graham and her colleagues made modern dance history. The pioneering psychologist Erich Fromm taught here, as did the man known as the father of modern management, Peter Drucker. Today's faculty continues that tradition of esteemed practitioners, including renowned evolutionary scientist Bruce Weber, choreographer Dana Reitz, director Lloyd Richards, essayist Edward Hoagland, and others.
As you might expect, the students who pass through Bennington tend to be doers as well. Throughout its history, the College has seen its graduates make a difference in the worlds they inhabit. Often, they excel in multiple fields: Architects are teachers, biologists sculpt; sociologists may work on Wall Street or do graphicdesign. People who go to Bennington tend to lead interesting and varied lives, to remain curious about the world they live in and adventurous about exploring it.
Get job alerts
Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.
Create alert