Following a year with several racist incidents, UF will hire the equivalent of a Chief Diversity Officer to support inclusion on campus.
UF President Kent Fuchs announced the decision Thursday afternoon at the State of the University Address. Fuchs said the decision was made after a yearlong search of the best practices in similar positions at other universities. The search for the new hire will begin this Fall, he said.
Jodi Gentry, the vice president for human resources, said the new position will be cabinet-level and will focus on three main tasks: serving as a senior advisor, collaborating with other groups across campus and creating a senior advisory board.
The position will be focused on faculty and staff as well as students, Gentry said. A search committee will be put together to find the best candidate for the role.
“We believe that making sure the university is a welcoming climate for everyone is really important,” Gentry said. “And we believe that this will add expertise to the university in the area of inclusive excellence.”
Gentry said several groups across campus supported the idea of a Chief Diversity Officer or other similar position.
The Black Student Affairs Task Force, a group that surveyed black students to get a feel for campus climate, offered it as part of the report’s recommendation last Summer, said Will Atkins, the executive director for Multicultural and Diversity Affairs.
He said students valued seeing themselves in university leadership and looked forward to the new hire bringing his or her expertise.
“MCDA is really excited to partner with whoever this is and move the president and vice president of Student Affairs’ goal of diversity and inclusive excellence forward,” Atkins said.
Eddie Daniels, the president of the Association of Black Faculty and Staff, found out about the new officer during Fuchs’ address. He said it would be a positive step to addressing issues faced by people of color on UF’s campus.
“I think having someone or someones to constantly pay attention to these kinds of issues and come up with positive solutions is definitely the right direction for the university,” he said.
Daniels said the association has advocated for a position like a Chief Diversity Officer for years, and supported the report put out by the Black Student Affairs Task Force.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said, “so we’re looking for very positive outcomes.”
Jessica Valdes, a 22-year-old UF political science senior, said she was happy to hear the position was added.
“I’m hoping we’re going to have many more positions open for faculty of color in our university so students of color can be better represented in academia,” she said.
