Sept. 20, 2022: Launch of search for VP for OCR
Dear Colleagues,
We recently launched a national search for the next leader of the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance. I appreciate Karey Krohnfeldt and Nicole Schmidtke for their acting roles and continuing their oversight until a permanent leader is selected.
At the Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 9, we elevated this position to a vice president role from the previous associate vice president title. Given the importance of this position on campus, it is crucial to conduct a thorough and comprehensive search. I have asked Jabbar Bennett, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, and Andrea Munford, Deputy Chief of the Community Support Bureau at the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety and Special Advisor to the President on RVSM Issues, to co-chair this search. Search firm Isaacson, Miller will support this search and more information will be available soon on my website.
Our Office for Civil Rights and Title IX has accomplished a lot over the past several years toward improving our internal processes and policies and ensuring we are compliant with federal and state regulations. In addition, the office has been instrumental in completing an overwhelming majority of the requirements asked of us by the U.S. Department of Education’s Clery Act Compliance Division, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Please visit the Our Commitment website to track our progress in this space.
Beyond the federal requirements, recently we established the Climate and Response Unit within the Prevention, Outreach and Education Department to promote healing and culture change following incidents and/or investigations of sexual harassment or misconduct. We launched the Culture of Support initiative to provide guidance for how to respond to RVSM disclosures in a manner that is helpful to survivors and to promote related campus resources and services. In addition, we completed two rounds of reviews from Cozen O’Connor, an outside law firm with expertise in Title IX compliance. Their reports stated that investigations by the Office of Institutional Equity are “fair, impartial and thorough.” And we updated the Discipline and Dismissal of Tenured Faculty for Cause Policy and expanded staff at MSU Safe Place.
There’s been a unified commitment across our campus to achieve the highest standards of care and safety, to prevent misconduct and support those who experience RVSM issues in a trauma-informed manner. And, moving forward, we will remain steadfast in advancing this important work. I’m grateful to the team in the Title IX office for all they do to help us achieve these goals.
I want to also extend my deepest appreciation to all of you for your continued dedication and support to the campus community.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. (he/him)President