Oct. 7, 2020
Dear students, faculty and staff,
Today, I am announcing a national search for a dedicated chief diversity officer who will report directly to me as part of our continued efforts to support underrepresented groups at CU Boulder.
Taking into consideration the voices, experiences and concerns of underrepresented groups on our campus, our new chief diversity officer will advise me and my cabinet on the most effective ways to rapidly make CU Boulder more diverse, equitable and inclusive. This individual will assess what we are doing right, where we need to improve, and outline the tangible new steps we need to take. In this high-priority role, the chief diversity officer will help CU Boulder make rapid progress toward our goals, working side-by-side with academic and administrative units, governance groups, student leaders and other stakeholders.
Before we launch this search, we will need to engage broadly with the campus community, including the IDEA Council, shared governance leaders, our scholars who study communities of color, leaders of student organizations, and other stakeholders to understand their needs, how they would want to interact with the chief diversity officer, and how they can help me define the chief diversity officer’s role, scope of authority, and responsibilities. We need to use the opportunity to hire a campus-level leader as a means of strengthening the campus and making it more inclusive.
The chief diversity officer will work collaboratively with our leadership to continue to make progress on our vision for inclusive excellence, and will work with Vice Chancellor Bob Boswell, who will continue to lead the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE) and its academic efforts. When the chief diversity officer is hired, that person will also collaborate with the IDEA Council and other campus stakeholder groups to implement the priorities of the Inclusion, Diversity and Excellence in Academics (IDEA) Plan, which will continue to serve as our campus blueprint.
My leadership team and I are also exploring additional financial investments to support this critical work within our community, and I look forward to updating you on our progress in the upcoming weeks.
We will not ignore your calls for diversity, equity and inclusion. This commitment to new leadership and our increased financial investments are part of a holistic change.
We will take decisive, immediate, long overdue action, and we will do it together.
Sincerely,
Phil DiStefano
Chancellor