Vice President for Inclusion & Belonging

If you are a current Barnard College employee, please use the internal career site to apply for this position.

Job:

Vice President for Inclusion & Belonging

Job Summary:

This position offers the right individual a truly unique and exciting opportunity. The Vice President will serve as an important colleague and partner on the President’s senior team; strengthen and lead Barnard’s inclusion and belonging efforts; foster dialogue across difference; develop and implement an overarching plan for inclusive excellence; serve as a well-connected campus partner, particularly with the Vice President of Enrollment, Dean of Students, Provost, and Chief Administrative Officer; lead cross functional teams in a collaborative environment; build capacity across all divisions of the College; and understand and improve the campus climate for students, faculty, and staff.

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished strategist, change agent, administrator, and community builder who has significant experience in, and a track record of, successfully advancing inclusion and belonging through sustainable engagement in complex communities and/or mission-driven organizations and the ability to work within the stimulating academic environment of a top-tier liberal arts college.

Job Description:

The Vice President Role: Reporting to President Laura Rosenbury, the Vice President for Inclusion and Belonging will:

• Serve as a valued member of Barnard’s senior staff.

• Lead efforts to achieve several goals set forth in Barnard’s 10-year plan for Bold History and Fearless Future.

• Develop initiatives to ensure Barnard’s top-tier women’s liberal arts education is accessible to all, regardless of financial status.

• Play a critical role in shaping a more inclusive future—one where every member of the community feels seen, heard, and valued while embracing diverse and conflicting points of view.

• Address systemic barriers, inequities, ableism, the inclusion of individuals with physical and mental disabilities, gender equity, LGBTQ representation, and other forms of discrimination based on:

  • Socioeconomic status,

  • Ethnicity,

  • Immigration status, and

  • Other legally protected identities.

• Be passionate about transformative change and demonstrate expertise in navigating and building community in a dynamic environment.

Collaboration and Key Relationships

The Vice President will:

• Lead a team exclusively focused on inclusion and belonging.

• Work closely with the College’s Office of Nondiscrimination in the Office of General Counsel to identify proactive methods and approaches to ensure inclusivity and fair treatment.

• Partner across the College with teams such as:

  • Enrollment & Financial Aid,

  • Campus Life and Student Experience,

  • Human Resources, and

  • The Provost’s Office.

• Collaborate with individual students, faculty, and staff.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President, Board of Trustees, and senior leadership on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Provide insights on emerging trends and best practices.

Key Leadership Initiatives

The Vice President will lead or co-lead three collaborative efforts at the College:

Cabinet Leadership:

• Collaborate across the College to identify policies, structures, and practices that support the recruitment, retention, and success of diverse students, faculty, and staff.

• Establish systems of accountability and evaluation using data-driven metrics to measure success.

Council on Diversity and Inclusion:

• Co-chair the Council.

• Expand the dialogue around diversity and inclusion across the Barnard community.

• Manage and monitor the implementation of recommendations from the President’s Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion (2017).

• Promote campus-wide programs related to diversity and inclusion.

• Advise senior leadership and the Board of Trustees on implementing best practices for diversity and inclusion.

Community Safety Advisory Council (CSAC):

• Co-chair the CSAC with the Chief Administrative Officer.

• Address accessibility, discrimination, and other forms of bias.

• Assess campus spaces to determine inclusivity and develop initiatives to ensure everyone feels welcome.

• Offer suggestions for safety protocols and training.

Visionary Leadership Responsibilities

The Vice President will:

• Promote a culture that values different identities and points of view while supporting inclusive excellence.

• Proactively develop and implement policies, plans, programs, and activities that prioritize community, belonging, and inclusion as core values of the College.

• Model ways to connect and engage across differences.

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements:

Required Qualification

• An advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in a related field.

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, preferably within higher education or similarly complex organizational settings.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Experience working at or with women’s colleges or institutions dedicated to feminist principles.

• A record of published work or thought leadership in the areas of inclusion, belonging, or social justice.

• Demonstrated success in securing external funding or partnerships to advance inclusion and belonging initiatives.

• Excellent facilitation and presentation skills with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences.

• Demonstrated ability to build relationships and coalitions to advance inclusion and belonging.

• Understanding of power, privilege, and systemic inequalities.

• Knowledge and understanding of restorative practices.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to handle sensitive and challenging topics and conversations with empathy and professionalism.

• Robust appetite for change and demonstrated ability to manage change across a complex institution.

• Strong understanding of training and policy development designed to proactively combat discrimination and hate and to support a community that is welcoming to all.

• Conflict resolution and consensus-building skills.

• Crisis management skills and the ability to handle sensitive and challenging situations with professionalism.

• Ability to manage, prioritize, and pivot to accommodate uncertainty and change.

• Understandings of higher education, shared governance, ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Title VI, Title VII, and Title IX, and academic freedom.

• Excellent facilitation and presentation skills with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences.

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with faculty, students, staff, alumnae, and other constituents.

• Proven ability to think strategically, manage multifaceted projects, and utilize data-driven insights to guide decision-making and measure impact.

• Ability to work independently and to handle multiple complex tasks simultaneously.

Salary Range: $260,000 - $280,000

About Barnard

Barnard College, one of the most dynamic liberal arts colleges in the United States, invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Vice President for Inclusion and Belonging (the “Vice President”). Reporting directly to the President and serving on her senior leadership team, the Vice President will serve as the chief diversity officer for the College and oversee all efforts related to climate, inclusion, and belonging at the College. This is an outstanding opportunity for a talented and experienced individual whose education, perspectives, and personal and professional experiences will further the College’s access mission and ensure that the College is welcoming to individuals from all backgrounds and with diverse points of view and who is committed to combating concerns about accessibility, discrimination and other forms of bias.

Barnard is a world-renowned college for women with a robust relationship to Columbia University. Founded in 1889, Barnard was one of the few colleges in the nation – and the only in New York City – where women could receive the same rigorous and challenging college education available to men. Barnard remains unabashedly committed to the empowerment of women and to the exploration of gender in all of its complexity. With an acceptance rate under 10 percent, Barnard is one of the most selective colleges in the country and is laser-focused on providing students with the experiences and support they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world. The College’s ninth president, Laura Ann Rosenbury, joined the College in June, 2023 and as part of her strategic vision, Barnard aspires to be a leader among colleges and universities as a place where differing histories, experiences, and identities are understood and engaged; community members are committed to “disagreeing better”; the ties that bind us together as a community are strong; the ideals of inclusive excellence are wholly embraced; and robust and mutually beneficial partnerships are cultivated with diverse communities throughout New York City and beyond. 
 

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Company:

Barnard College

Time Type:

Full time

Salary : $260,000 - $280,000