Dominican University invites applications and nominations for Chief Diversity Officer, a senior level appointment, reporting to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet.

Position Overview:

The Chief Diversity Officer is an experienced scholar-practitioner and strategic thinker, empowered by mission and planning to lead diversity-driven change in university policy, pedagogy and practice.  Deeply committed to equity, the CDO works with stakeholders to foster an inclusive campus with a robust culture of belonging.  A strong candidate for the position demonstrates the ability to engage difficult conversations across constituencies --- from students to the board, with wisdom, empathy and confidence.

A Receptive University Context:

Dominican University is a Catholic, Hispanic-Serving institution (since 2011) with a strong social justice mission, educating a largely first-generation-to-college, Pell eligible, underrepresented student body.  The university was recently recognized by U.S. News and World Report for the distinctively high social mobility of its students.  It is the only regional university among 589 institutions, nationally that is ranked both as a top ten university for overall quality and for the economic diversity of its students.

In 2016, the Dominican Board of Trustees approved a very public resolution declaring the university as a Sanctuary Campus.  In 2018, the university’s new strategic plan, A World of Difference, identified equity-driven metrics for institutional growth, with a particular commitment to the recruitment and retention of black (American/Caribbean/African) students.  Since 2017, Dominican has received almost $20 million in HSI-related, capacity building federal grants to support the success of its increasingly diverse student body.

Responsibilities of the Chief Diversity Officer:

Leadership:

• Provides sustained direction and voice for the university’s strategic diversity goals and initiatives
• Works with key university partners (teaching/learning director, deans, faculty/staff leadership) to orchestrate a broad based program of inclusive pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching and services, and intercultural development for faculty and staff
• Oversees and advances an equity framework for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, in cooperation with human resources
• Expands the university’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center initiative and comparable initiatives in the future, in order to dismantle racial inequities and develop an inclusive climate, on campus and in the communities that Dominican serves.
• Develops and implements high impact, equity enhancing programs in collaboration with academic departments, and with the university’s new student Center for Cultural Liberation

Collaboration:

• As the senior diversity officer, provides guidance and mentorship for emerging faculty, staff and student diversity leaders
• Working with university partners and external experts, develops and implements training modules and resources that address implicit bias, expand cultural competencies and enable faculty, staff and students to bridge differences effectively
• Helps academic administration, faculty and staff within the four colleges to advance, culturally responsive learning environments
• Serves on university-wide committees to advance issues of equity and inclusion in policy and practice
• Staffs the President’s Advisory Council for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Qualifications:

• Minimum of a master’s degree in higher education leadership or a related academic field; doctorate preferred
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing institutional diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at the university level
• Understanding of equal opportunity, affirmative action and other compliance regulations in the context a higher education
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills, in English and Spanish preferred; the ability to represent the university to the public in diverse professional settings
• Respect for, and the demonstrated ability to work effectively within, the structures of shared governance
• Organizational, strategic and budget management skills
• A deep commitment to and big heart for the work

Job offer will be pending a background screening.

More about Dominican University:

Established by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in 1901 as an undergraduate women’s college, the institution added graduate education in 1949 and co-education in 1970. Today, Dominican University is a comprehensive Catholic institution of 3,200 students organized into four colleges: Rosary College of Arts and Sciences, Brennan School of Business, College of Applied Social Sciences (education, Information Studies, social work) and Borra College of Health Sciences (MacNeil School of Nursing). Dominican is ranked 10^th of 156 Midwest Regional Universities by U.S. News and World Report. The university will celebrate the centennial of its River Forest Campus in 2022-2023.

Dominican University is an equal opportunity employer. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We look forward to a diverse pool of applicants who bring varied experiences, perspectives and backgrounds. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

TO APPLY - Please visit our website at dom.edu/jobs.