Sept. 19 through Sept. 28, the four finalists selected for the Vice President position at the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) visited campus for two days of engagement.
The visits included public presentations where the campus community participated both in person and virtually, with opportunities to ask questions and meet the candidates.
The first of these presentations was Herman Shelton, who is currently the Executive Director for the Access Center at Colorado State University.
During his career, Shelton has focused on eliminating inequitable opportunity and outcome gaps for people who have historically been excluded from higher education.
“I was a first-generation student,” Shelton said. “And so I have always wanted to help others like me to have their own experience at higher education.”
If given the position, Shelton would work to build community and coalitions, create a culture and climate of inclusion, and engage with critical partners across the state, like the state legislature or community leaders.
Next was Zebadiah Hall, the Director of Student Disability Services at Cornell University.
During the presentation, Hall focused on what he called a C.A.R.E Community and how he would create one at UW and in Laramie.
“In a C.A.R.E Community, there first needs to be caring about all people within the community. Then there needs to be awareness about DEI and taking action on DEI,” Hall said.
“We also need to be restorative about our past because we have one and our present and to be righteous about our future. And finally, we need to be engaging and educating all people because everyone matters.”
Jamie Nolan, the associate vice chancellor of community, equity, and inclusive excellence at Washington State University (WSU) is the third candidate.
While at WSU she worked with students and staff during and after student-led protests on the campus infall 2017 and developed five working groups from the demands of the student protester.
“This is hard work,” Nolan said. “The person who becomes VP will have to roll up their sleeves to work with others and be able to muck around in it and go to those places of tension because it’s in those points of tension where all the possibility lies.”
The final presentation came from Oyibo Afoaku, the scholarship and engagement consultant for the Hudson and Holland Scholars Program at Indiana University.
As VP of DEI, her vision would be to support the university in making quality higher education accessible and affordable to everybody by promoting student and employee access, retention, and success.
“To help the university achieve its mission we need to foster a supportive campus environment where everybody feels a sense of belonging,” Afoaku said. “And my philosophy in a job like this is that everybody needs to work together.”
President Sidel will receive comments about the four candidates via an anonymous feedback survey and review those in addition to the recommendations that are made to him from the Cabinet and from the Search Committee to help him decide who will fill the VP of DEI position.
The Search Committee is meeting on Friday 30 and early next week with the President to finalize recommendations and hopefully receive his decision shortly after.
