CU looks at hiring diversity czar

Provost may elevate position to level of vice chancellor

Brittany Anas, Daily Camera

Published January 3, 2007 at midnight

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BOULDER - The University of Colorado may hire a high-level administrator to focus on diversity issues at the Boulder campus.

Provost Phil DiStefano said he plans to make a decision this month on whether the campus' diversity and equity administrator position should be elevated to vice chancellor status.

There are now four vice chancellor positions, in addition to DiStefano's executive academic affairs post.

Those high-ranking administrators oversee campus finances, administration, research and student affairs.

DiStefano said if CU decides to put more emphasis on its diversity position, a group will launch a nationwide search for candidates to become the campus' "vice chancellor of diversity, equity and community engagement."

The CU vice chancellor, if hired, would report to DiStefano and be in charge of guiding campus diversity projects and directing policies that create a welcoming climate for faculty, staff and students. The administrator would also work with off-campus groups in Boulder, Denver and other cities throughout the state, he said.

There is currently an associate vice chancellor who oversees diversity and equity initiatives. CU created that position about a decade ago, DiStefano said, and it has evolved and broadened during that time.

"If you look around the country, universities in our peer group are looking at vice chancellors and vice presidents of diversity," DiStefano said. "It's more of a national movement than a local one."

Universities comparable to CU that have vice presidents overseeing diversity initiatives include Texas A&M, the University of Virginia and Washington State University.

Debra Humphreys, spokeswoman for the Association of American Colleges and Universities and an expert on higher education diversity issues, said the role of such administrators has changed throughout the past two decades.

In the beginning, people in those positions were most often dealing with student enrollment and campus-climate issues.

There are other elements of diversity - such as addressing race in curriculum and diversifying faculty - and colleges are beginning to hire administrators whose jobs blend the academic and student affairs elements.

"Over the years, our understanding of diversity has become more complex," Humphreys said. "The trend now is to not isolate the position in student affairs."

CU has paid increased attention to diversity in the past year, adopting several recommendations from a diversity panel of civic and business leaders.

As a result of the panel's work, CU now awards more scholarship money to minority students and has started mandatory diversity training for employees.

The panel, which was appointed by CU President Hank Brown, formed to improve the campus climate for minorities and also help diversify the campus.

Hiring a vice chancellor was not among the panel's suggestions, but members did strongly recommend that the university's top leaders make diversity a high priority and "build bridges" with outside campus groups, including nonprofits and businesses.

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