Associate Provost for Faculty Diversity and Inclusive Pathways

Position Summary

The Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement promotes and nurtures a vibrant climate of inclusive excellence through creative collaboration with University and external partners. Our faculty development, diversity, planning, and community-building initiatives enable current — and aspiring — faculty to thrive.

We envision Columbia University as a community that embodies inclusive excellence, where all scholars feel welcomed and supported, and where faculty can confidently focus on their scholarship and teaching. In sum, we hope to make Columbia the go-to place for the world’s greatest scholars. We cannot achieve this without realizing our core values of inclusion and excellence.

Reporting to the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, the Associate Provost for Faculty Diversity and Inclusive Pathways leads strategy, planning, development and implementation efforts to successfully administer the university’s Faculty Diversity and Inclusive Faculty Pathways portfolios.

The Associate Provost will collaborate with the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement in leading and planning Columbia's ongoing commitment to attracting, advancing and retaining a diverse faculty and graduate student body, The Associate Provost will facilitate faculty and graduate student development programming; and, long-term strategic planning with the leaders of each of Columbia's Schools to evaluate and strengthen their diversity initiatives.

Responsibilities

Operations

The Associate Provost is responsible for overall team management, setting strategic goals in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, overseeing the development and establishment of policies and procedures, including an office handbook; and provides coaching, training and career development for junior staff. The incumbent also has the lead responsibility in the development, implementation and independent management of the Inclusive Faculty Pathways Initiative. Duties are to:

Expand summer research opportunities for historically underrepresented undergraduate students. Develop application boot camps for prospective graduate students and preview weekends for promising prospective applicants. Serve as a resource for schools and departments in identifying talented students from historically underrepresented groups in the applicant pool. Develop workshops to address bias and discrimination in admissions decisions. Secure support (financial and social-cultural) required to successfully recruit accepted students. Develop and oversee research awards for advanced graduate students. Track placement of students from historically underrepresented groups in their transition to academic employment through the development of a database.

Programming

Serve as primary liaison between the Provost, Vice Provosts, and other senior faculty/administrators, including the newly created Inclusive Faculty Pathways workgroup. Oversee the OVPFA Assistant Provosts in their meeting and event-related responsibilities. Supervise the Associate Director for Inclusive Faculty Pathways in their responsibilities related to career development events for graduate students across the university, major conferences and other diversity-related special events.  Develop new programming that is attuned to the needs of the populations we serve (e.g., programming for underrepresented STEM graduate students, first-generation individuals). Develop graduate student preview and recruitment weekends in coordination with schools and departments. Develop and promote community building programming for underrepresented graduate students across the University with Provost’s office colleagues, including the Center for Teaching and Learning, Columbia Libraries and the Office of the EVP for Research and the Office of University Life. Session topics include working using social media, how to receive effective mentoring, interdisciplinary scholarship, current issues in higher education, etc. 

Research/Publications

Lead the compilation and synthesis of research, often on tight timelines, on a wide range of topics, such equity-based admissions practices at other universities, ways in which peer institutions present faculty and student demographic data to internal and external audiences, and policy statements on diversity initiatives and affirmative action.  Develop and produce a Guide to Best Practices in Equity-based Admissions. Translate research into resources/publications for faculty and other constituents. Supervise graduate interns and junior staff assisting with research.

Communications

Lead the conceptualization and development of content for the newly launched IFP section of the Faculty Advancement website, including development of a new graduate student diversity data dashboard and calendar. Develop targeted communications strategy to advertise Columbia graduate programs to historically underrepresented students. Lead the Associate Directors in the management of the office’s social media presence (e.g., Facebook page, Twitter). Serve as the primary liaison to the relevant CU offices (e.g., CUIT, Planning and Institutional Research) to develop and maintain a robust web presence. Assist the Vice Provost in his role as Chair of the Provost's Advisory Council for the Enhancement of Faculty Diversity that reports to the Provost. Participate in meetings and conference calls with the Provost, Vice Provost, and faculty members from the Council. Lead the preparation of presentations to the Council: helping to conceptualize their flow, preparing multiple iterations under tight deadlines in response to feedback, and creating slides to convey important data in a clear and understandable way.

Faculty and Graduate Student Data Analysis

Conceptualize and conduct both recurring and ad hoc data analyses for use by the Provost, Vice Provost and other high-level constituents. Develop presentations to be delivered by the Vice Provost to the University’s Board of Trustees and other key stakeholders. Translate data findings into materials appropriate for the broader Columbia community and other, lay audiences.  Utilizing high-level analytical and managerial skills, collaborates closely with staff members in the Office of Planning and Institutional Research and Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) to guide the numerous faculty data analyses and related products they prepare to inform the Faculty Diversity Initiative’s work. Analyze and disseminate information about diversity at the School level in order to monitor diversity efforts. In conjunction with EOAA and outside counsel, conduct analyses to determine departmental eligibility for Faculty Diversity Initiative funding opportunities. Assist in preparing presentations, which include data on faculty diversity, to the University's Board of Trustees and other key stakeholders.

Supervision

Directly supervise the daily work of the Associate Director of Inclusive Faculty Pathways, the Associate Director of Faculty Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Director of Finance and Operations including coaching/counseling, and career development. Dotted line supervision of the Assistant Provost for Faculty Advancement.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree desirable. Minimum 8 -10 years of related experience; preferably in Higher Education. High level of discretion and ability to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information.  Ability to work with all levels of administrative staff, faculty, graduate students and external constituents.  Demonstrated track record of providing project management, data analysis and/or research.  Excellent writing skills required, including the ability to write well for various audiences.  Skilled in the use of Excel and PowerPoint. Proficiency with website development/maintenance desirable.

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