The University of Missouri asked the community for public input in the hiring process of a new Vice Chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity at an open forum on Tuesday afternoon. People named having power and resources, accountability and a future-oriented mindset as important characteristics.
Marjorie Dorimé-Williams, the assistant professor in Education Leadership and Policy Analysis, said she attended the forum to ensure that her input and the voices she represents were part of the conversation.
“My hope is that the person coming in can really get people on campus invested in making this a better space for everyone,” Dorimé-Williams said. “And that they can support the development of individuals at the institution, because really that’s what the work is about.”
Gene Robertson, an MU professor emeritus, said he attended the forum because he has been involved with the university for 50 years and has seen little to no change.
“I’m still fighting to have that change so that the university is as inclusive as they say they claim they want to be,” Robertson said. “And I wanted to make sure that everybody knew that it hasn’t occurred yet.”
The forum was led by the search committee co-chairs Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Pat Okker, Deputy Chancellor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Law Michael Middleton and MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright.
Okker said that she was hopeful to gain input from a broad spectrum of the campus.
“I heard impassioned, exciting, innovative ideas of what people are looking for, and that energizes the entire search committee and gives us a real good grounding of how to move forward,” Okker said.
Dr. Kevin McDonald previously held the position, and left MU at the end of the spring 2019 semester to accept a position at the University of Virginia. The search committee plans to have a candidate elected by the spring so the position can begin in August 2020.