The staff of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity includes (from left, top row) Oscar Felix, Linda Krier, Shannon Archibeque-Engle,
Cori Wong. (bottom row) Alicia Sprague, Mary Ontiveros and Ria Vigil. Not shown are Tim Brennan, Bailey Cross and Rachael McKinney.
As Colorado State University expands its efforts to become a more inclusive campus, the Office of the Vice President of Diversity is expanding to support those efforts.
“We collaborate with colleges, departments and units across campus on inclusive curricular and co-curricular initiatives that serve faculty and staff as well as students,” explained Vice President for Diversity Mary Ontiveros. “We partner particularly closely with units within the Office of the Provost, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and Access, but we serve all of CSU.”
Just a few of the initiatives the office is involved in include the annual Diversity Symposium, set for Oct. 2-4 this year; the biennial Campus Climate Survey that identifies workplace issues that can be addressed by the administration; the Inclusive Virtual and Physical Campus Committee; the First Generation Campus Initiative; the Transition Coordinating Committee; the President’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, helping sponsor speakers and workshops on topics related to diversity and inclusion; providing support for faculty who incorporate inclusive practices in the classroom; and a wide range of other activities aimed at making the campus a supportive and welcoming place for individuals of all identities.
To keep pace with the increasing interest in diversity and inclusion on campus, the office has undergone a major reorganization. Cori Wong, Ph.D., director of the Women & Gender Collaborative, has been named Assistant Vice President for Gender Equity, now part of the OVPD. She joins Shannon Archibeque-Engle, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Assessment; Ria Vigil, Assistant Vice President for Inclusive Organizational Practice; and Oscar Felix, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Diversity. Linda Krier continues in her long-standing role as Executive Assistant to the Vice President.
Diversity Symposium schedule announced Aug. 31
The 18th annual Diversity Symposium will take place in the Lory Student Center Oct. 2-4 and feature a wide range of speakers, workshops and discussions around diversity and inclusion on the Colorado State University campus, and beyond. All events are free and open to the public.
In addition to educating the CSU campus and the wider community about these issue, it also provides opportunities for faculty to present research about diversity and inclusion, and communicate CSU’s commitment to these concepts.
The final schedule of events will be announced Aug. 31, on the website, where more information and videos from past events are posted.
New program coordinators
Tim Brennan has been named fiscal officer for OVPD, responsible for all budgets, accounting and personnel for the office. He replaces Jan Marquette, who retired from CSU at the end of June. Brennan will also oversee the newly created team of program coordinators: Alicia Sprague, Rachael McKinney, and Bailey Cross.
In addition to assisting with all responsibilities within the VPD Office, program coordinator primary assignments will include Sprague serving as training coordinator, working closely with Vigil on the Creating Inclusive Excellence Program, the Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence, Inclusive Excellence supervisory courses, departmental trainings, the Social Justice Leadership Institute, and the Diversity Symposium.
McKinney assists Archibeque-Engle with program assessment and strategic initiatives, such as the University Diversity Strategic Plan, incidents of bias reporting, and the Colorado State University Employee Survey.
Cross’s responsibilities including supporting Wong with gender equity initiatives on campus such as Feminist Fight Club, Women’s Leadership Series, Women of Color Summit, and Man: Educate Yourself.
“The program coordinators will provide needed support not only internally but also for the various areas where our office touches the campus,” according to Ontiveros. “We have needed people in these roles for some time, and we are happy to have three talented and dynamic individuals join our team.”
And to accommodate the new staff, Diversity House at Laurel and Shields streets will undergo remodeling beginning later this semester.
