Job Title: Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion, 30467
Location: UMKC Volker Campus
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Job ID: 41216
Job Description

The Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion serves as the top diversity officer for the UMKC campus and leads the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. This position reports directly to the Chancellor, participates in the work of the Chancellor’s executive cabinet, and is part of the executive leadership team that develops new initiatives and strengthens current programs to build upon the success of the University.

The Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion serves as the primary advisor to the Chancellor on matters involving diversity and inclusion. In view of this responsibility, the Vice Chancellor will have the commitment from the highest levels of the University administration, faculty, and staff that the University supports equal opportunity and affirmative action and will foster a climate that is welcoming and appreciative of diversity among the University community. Specifically, the Vice Chancellor assists and monitors all units of the University in their efforts to recruit and retain diverse faculty, staff, and students. In addition, it plans, implements, and oversees the development of programs and activities to support the culture of open inquiry, pluralism, and mutual respect throughout the University.

The Vice Chancellor supports the efforts of the provost and deans to develop faculty scholarship, curriculum, and pedagogy on diversity, inclusion, and related issues and will help facilitate team building within and among academic units, student affairs, and the administration on matters relating to institutional diversity. The Vice Chancellor will support and develop programs and interface with others on campus in many diversity and inclusion activities. Such activities might include hosting scholarly conferences, forums, visiting scholars or practitioners, and fellowships to establish leadership in scholarship on issues of diversity and inclusion. The Vice Chancellor will also devise measures to monitor, evaluate, and improve the progress of programs established to enhance diversity on the UMKC campus.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

In this position, the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion is responsible for envisioning, developing, and executing an updated strategic plan for a more diverse and inclusive UMKC community. In carrying out this important task, the Vice Chancellor will face the following key challenges and opportunities:

Serve as a thought leader and trusted partner, ensuring a system- and campus-wide commitment to effective diversity, inclusion, and belonging programs

The Vice Chancellor will be a trusted and influential thought leader across campus, ensuring a university-wide commitment to diversity and inclusion. The successful candidate will garner respect and advise all university stakeholders and constituencies (i.e., the chancellor, vice chancellors, provost, vice provosts, and deans) and serve as their trusted partner and highly regarded ambassador. The Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion must have the ability to research, identify, advise on, and implement best practices for diversity and inclusion as well as possess a deep and contemporary understanding of diversity and inclusion concepts and issues.

The Vice Chancellor will help to foster a sense of belonging, so that all UMKC students, faculty, staff, and guests feel accepted, valued, and encouraged while on the campus. The Vice Chancellor will also coordinate with the UM System Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and the diversity officers at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis to share best practices, seek opportunities for synergy and professional development, and ensure alignment with the UM System’s ID&E mission, practices, and policies.

Continue to build and advance UMKC’s Division of Diversity and Inclusion

The Vice Chancellor will oversee the staff, resources, and programmatic efforts for the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. The Vice Chancellor will regularly assess the division’s activities and priorities. As an experienced manager, the Vice Chancellor will bring exemplary organizational development skills to build and manage a team of high-performing, empowered, and motivated individuals. Additionally, the Vice

Chancellor must have experience creating, maintaining, and improving efficient and transparent administrative systems that facilitate the articulation of D&I priorities, accomplishments, and next steps while also providing opportunities for stakeholder feedback.

Pursue inclusive excellence through curriculum development, faculty and staff recruitment, D&I training, professional development, and retention programs

The Vice Chancellor will be tasked with ensuring that the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s structural systems support an inclusive climate for faculty and staff. The Vice Chancellor will partner with the provost, university deans, vice provosts, and Vice Chancellor for human resources to facilitate the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and staff. To accomplish this feat, the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion must be able to garner credibility and respect from faculty and staff leaders across all disciplines and administrative units and to work collaboratively with them to implement strategies that reflect best practices and current research.

The incoming Vice Chancellor will provide help as needed to expand and deepen discussions about diversity and inclusion related issues in the classroom, whether they involve pedagogy or curriculum. They will work with the faculty to constructively and objectively introduce themes of race, class, sexuality, nationality, ableism, and/or gender inequalities into their course offerings. A successful Vice Chancellor will also garner assistance from UMKC’s Diversity Advocates and campus-wide resources, so that all stakeholders may be better equipped to become positive change agents. This pursuit also aims to improve campus climate, so that university cohorts may continue to partner with Multicultural Student Affairs, The African Americans Cultivating Excellence Mentoring Program, Avanzando, and similar groups who look to increase UMKC’s student success.

Maintaining and cultivating external relationships

Since its founding, UMKC has actively engaged and partnered with community groups, civic leaders, local and state lawmakers, and other key external stakeholders. In addition to fostering new external partnerships throughout greater Kansas City, the incoming Vice Chancellor should ensure that external partners continue to be heard and included in D&I discussions and issues. As a skilled communicator, the Vice Chancellor will represent UMKC externally by enthusiastically sharing the University’s history with various community, state, and regional boards and committees. The Vice Chancellor will be a persuasive public figure who is comfortable addressing a wide range of audiences.

Improving cross-campus communications

The Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion must play a pivotal role in creating fluid streams of communication among the Division of Diversity and Inclusion and student groups, faculty, staff, and senior leadership to ensure that all campus stakeholders are aware of D&I programs. The Vice Chancellor will be charged with promoting the Division of Diversity and Inclusion to internal stakeholders, so that all members of the campus community may leverage the diversity and inclusion resources and assistance available to them.

Develop methods and tools to assess and evaluate diversity and inclusion strategies across campus and overtime

The Vice Chancellor is charged with creating, developing, and executing frameworks, methods, and tools to acquire, measure, and report data on diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives across campus. The Vice Chancellor must have experience developing and utilizing data-tracking mechanisms as well as synthesizing and analyzing collected data so that diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives can be evaluated and modified to fit the needs of an evolving campus. The Vice Chancellor will work collaboratively to ensure the consistent execution of regular climate surveys to benchmark and monitor progress toward the stated goals. Related to this endeavor, the Vice Chancellor will also develop appropriate incentives for the constant pursuit and achievement of excellence within academic and administrative units and support services.

Minimum Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

An appropriate advanced degree in education, higher education management, organizational science, or a terminal degree is preferred. Relevant experience working in higher education, especially for an urban-serving institution is desired. Exceptional leadership and organizational skills and excellent written and oral communication skills are required. The position also requires demonstrated ability to communicate and maintain effective interpersonal and professional relationships in an ethnically and culturally diverse university. The ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional experiences and personal characteristics:

• Proven track record as an advocate for diversity and inclusion; and documented experience in translating strategic plans into programmatic achievements;
• Experience demonstrating progressively superior results in generating a positive campus environment of diversity and inclusiveness;
• Proven ability to generate support for and demonstrate program impact on key initiatives.
• General working knowledge of current and emerging Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action issues and trends and of laws, statutes, and procedures governing equal employment opportunity.
• Dedication to the overall mission and five pillars that serve as a foundation for this public, urban-serving access institution;
• Sophisticated knowledge of diversity and inclusion practices necessary to participate in conversations at the highest levels of the University and with constituents beyond the University such as alumni, local officials, community groups, and national organizations;
• A successful track record of and deep commitment to supporting faculty growth and developing effective diversity and inclusion initiatives for faculty, students, and staff;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to exercise a high degree of diplomacy and discretion;
• Proven ability to inspire and influence others;
• Cultural awareness, agility, and emotional intelligence; ability to build trust and credibility, collaborate with a wide variety of stakeholders, and provide leadership in a vibrant environment;
• Analytical skills and a data-informed focus; ability to use data and leverage analytics to drive strategy and results;
• The ability to work effectively in leading and collaborating with multiple constituencies at various levels of responsibility within the University and in the wider community.

Application Instructions

The University of Missouri-Kansas City has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in the search for Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion. Confidential inquiries, nominations, referrals, and curricula vitae with letters of interest should be sent electronically to the following:

Donna Cramer, Partner
Karreem Mebane, Senior Associate
https://www.imsearch.com/search-detail/S8-445
Isaacson, Miller

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor - Human Resources at 816-235-1621.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the duties and functions of this job. If you believe you may have difficulty performing any of the duties or functions of this job, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action at (816) 235-1323.

EEO IS THE LAW

To read more about Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) please use the following links:

• EEO is the Law English Version
• EEO is the Law Spanish Version
• EEO is the Law Chinese Version

UMKC Statement on Diversity Diversity, equity and inclusion are central to the UMKC mission as an urban-serving institution. Kansas City is a particularly diverse city, including African, African American, Asian, German, Irish, Italian, Latino, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, communities. Such ethnic diversity, in addition to our thriving neighborhoods of the Westside, Northeast Kansas City and the Eastside, fosters creativity, connection and innovation, which is showcased across the region. Major attractions such as the Annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Filipino Cultural Center, the American Jazz Museum, Guadalupe Centers and Mattie Rhodes and Kansas City Irish Fest are a small sample of the many ways our diverse city enriches us. Slavic and Native American

For the reasons enumerated above, UMKC’s strategic plan prioritizes our commitment to multiculturalism, globalism, diversity and inclusion. The university’s values call upon its faculty, staff, students and community to position themselves as global citizens who seek out, embrace and celebrate the many benefits of diversity. UMKC received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award in 2019 in recognition of our continued commitment to equity and inclusion. Such commitment is demonstrated across teaching, service and research. We welcome applicants to share in our commitment to these core values and know that you will quickly understand the beauty of calling Kansas City your home.

Please visit these pages to learn more about UMKC’s engagement in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Roos Advocate for Community Change

The Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Annual Report

Multicultural Student Affairs

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