Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Student Engagement

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of- the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package:

• Generous paid time off
• Paid holidays (up to 14 days)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefits
• Competitive retirement plan (up to 9% matching contribution)
• Tuition remission and Tuition Exchange Program
• Great employee discounts
• Complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Student Engagement takes direction from the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Director provides student-centered vision andcollaborative leadership to SAIC’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti racist educational programming and underrepresented student-retention efforts. This role manages administrative functions, including crafting and revising annual DEI goals, objectives and ongoing initiatives; The Director provides culturally responsive mentorship and individualized social, emotional, and academic support services to strengthen the sense of community belonging and promote retention of a diverse student body. The Director supervises and facilitates trainings for DEI Peer Mentors; This role supervises and provides direction to the Cultural Oasis Coordinator and oversees the management of the Cultural Oasis; The Director provides ongoing direction to the student-facing DEI staff who, in partnership with Campus Life,  support and advise SAIC’s 20 Student Affinity Groups; and directs the efforts of Multicultural Affairs Advisory Committee (MAAC). The Director coordinates diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racist training and programming for students and the campus community; Provides programming for student Orientations; This role serves as a collaborator and partner for the student support services and cultural programming at SAIC.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Staff Supervision* - Supervises and provides leadership for 1 full-time professional staff, Cultural Oasis Coordinator. Provides workflow, communicates expectations, and monitors workflow progress; Provides on-going direction & feedback about performance through weekly 1:1 meetings; Evaluates performance annually, including conducting performance evaluations; Assists in the recruitment and hiring of Graduate Student Assistants and Undergraduate Peer Mentors, including reviewing applicant materials, conducting candidate interviews, and offering recommendations for hiring to the VP of DEI; Coordinates and provides training and professional development opportunities.

2. Provide leadership for SAIC’s Cultural Oasis* - Provides vision and oversight for the management of the Cultural Oasis, the school’s space to support a diverse student body including by promoting the retention and academic success of BIPOC students; Partners with student leaders, the DEI office,  and other key constituents to coordinate the space usage and programming; Serves as the liaison with IRFM and other departments to ensure the space is safe, welcoming, and well maintained.

3. Affinity Groups Advisor/Supervisor* – Supervises grad students and the Cultural Oasis Coordinator in serving as the advisor to SAIC’s 20 affinity/identity-based student groups; Partners with their faculty/staff advisors and student group/Campus Life leadership to ensure student-led groups are flourishing within the SAIC Community; Ensures on-going leadership development and training; Assists the Cultural Oasis Coordinator in recruiting and supporting student leaders each year;  Provides funding and programming support; Ensures staff coverage of programs that are sponsored by student led groups; Meets with student leaders as needed to provide ongoing support, supervision, and mentorship.

4. Student Mentorship* - Provides individualized mentorship to support a diverse student body, including BIPOC students and students from historically underrepresented identities and backgrounds such as students of color, first-generation students, students with disabilities and LGBTQI students to support their academic success; Works to build a rapport with students, faculty and staff and serves as a primary SAIC resource and navigator for students from under-represented populations; Develops and maintains an institutional support structure, including resource lists, substantive programming and training, for diverse student groups on campus; Trains peer advisors to support fellow students.

5. Heritage Months* - Partners with SAIC’s efforts to recognize, acknowledge, and educate community members through heritage month programs; Chairs  Heritage Month Committee that includes membership from both within OSA and the larger school community; Responsible for collaborating with the committee that programs around 15-20 heritage/identity days/months each year; Approve and disseminate campus-wide messaging to bring widespread awareness to the significance of these special observances.

6. Programming* – Plan and implement innovative and comprehensive programming that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism for students, paying particular attention to the needs of students attending an urban, art and design school; Serves as lead staff on all student-facing DEI and anti racist programming initiatives; Develops and disseminates engaging and comprehensive educational materials; Develops engaging in-person, virtual, and hybrid programming; Works with the DEI Office to plan, implement and assess long and short-term programmatic goals; Organizes the DEI programming calendar in partnership with other administrative and academic departments at SAIC; Develops and implements leadership programming to engage student leaders and affinity groups; Collaborates with other staff of DEI Office to ensure integration of campus wide DEI and anti-racist programming;

7. Training and Education* - Develops and implements professional development training programs to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti racism for students (e.g. New Student Orientation, Residence Life) and the entire student services staff; Researches student development opportunities in the Chicago area that encourage a welcoming and affirming climate for learning for the diverse SAIC community.

8. Student Success* —Provides leadership, oversight and individualized support to address barriers to student success and works with campus partners to increase the retention of all SAIC students; Utilizes resources through other campus partners such as Student Affairs, Student Financial Services, Academic Advising, Contemporary Practices, Counseling Services, CRIT, Retention Committee; Ombudsperson, and Health Services to provide coordinated responses to student needs; Provides thought leadership for SAIC’s retention efforts related to students from historically underrepresented populations; Partners with the Associate Dean of Student Success to create a strategy to increase persistence and monitor rates of completion for students across all demographic categories; Supports underrepresented student retention by advising and mentoring students on academic success and social adjustment in collaboration with other student services departments.

9. Resource Navigator* – Serves as a primary support for students who experience and identify concerns related to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism within the SAIC community; Utilizes SAIC’s formal policies, procedures and structures (e.g., Title IX, Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Accommodations; Ombudsperson); Provides professional guidance in informal student-relevant conflict resolution when appropriate; Stays abreast of current affairs and campus community issues concerning the student experience; Partners with faculty, staff, and student leadership to strengthen the campus climate and to foster a culture of belonging for all at SAIC.

10. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-racism collaboration with Campus and Community Partners* -Develops collaborations and opportunities to ensure a comprehensive student support system with key SAIC campus partners; Partners with the Office of Student Affairs departments to enhance student-centered training initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti racism; Provides guidance and support to the campus community for Native & Indigenous initiatives; Provide direction on name change processes and partner with CRIT and other campus partners to support gender expansive students; Develops relationships with individuals, organizations, and communities beyond SAIC, leading to a greater impact of SAIC’s Citizen Artist mission and to explore future social impact opportunities and collaborations

11. Budget Management* - Manages operating budget; Provides monthly, quarterly, and annual Budget reports to the VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Provides recommendations for biannual operating budget requests.

12. Assessment* – Develops creative qualitative and quantitative assessment tools as part of program planning that reflect level of engagement, learning outcomes, and impact ; Facilitates process-oriented discussions on events/programs during staff meetings and annual planning sessions to guide and inform future programming; Develops regular reports on Cultural Oasis usage to VP of DEI and campus partners; Documents programmatic outcomes, and creates annual reports that reflect the efforts and contributions of the DEI Office; Conducts continuous quality improvement assessments and explores opportunities for future growth and development; Serves as a lead writer for the DEI Office’s Annual report; Stays apprised of best practices in the field and continuously incorporates these into programming, policies, procedures and broader institutional work; Collaborate with VP for DEI, VP of Student Affairs, Associate Dean for Student Success, and Associate Dean for Assessment to build an assessment plan that reflects the recruitment, persistence, experience, retention, academic success, and graduate rates of students across demographic categories.

13. Committee/School involvement*--Serve as the DEI representative on student-facing campus committees as appropriate and assigned by the VP of DEI; Provides assistance with student-facing functions such as Orientation, Graduation, and Family Weekend, which will include some evening and weekend commitments.

14. Marketing & Communications* – Promotes the Office of DEI programming and events by developing a comprehensive communications plan that informs and engages students, staff, faculty and the greater community;Establish & maintain partnership with Marketing and Communications (MarCom) team; Serves as the point of contact between the MarCom team with the DEI Office; Coordinates with graphic design team on deliverables; Reviews assets for MarCom approval; Communicates revisions with the graphic design team; Facilitates review process and gains approval from VP of DEI and President’s Office; contributes to DEI Office website.

15. Other Duties as Assigned*- Some evening and weekend commitments are expected to assure the student engagement goals of the DEI Office are achieved.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer;
• Walk to other buildings on campus for meetings and programs; occasional standing requirements include facilitating programs, training, heritage month programs, and other large scale events;
• Occasionally moves about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a copy machine and printer.
• Occasionally required to lift or push supplies such as for resource table-ing, and events
• Occasional local travel

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree preferred; and/or 3-5  years of professional experience
• Knowledge of diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and anti-racism issues in higher education
• Demonstrated interest in and dedication to working on behalf of students from historically underrepresented populations in higher education settings
• Demonstrated commitment to addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism
• Demonstrated experience with supporting the LGBTQIA community
• Demonstrated experience in planning, managing, implementing and evaluating DEI and/or multicultural programming and initiatives in higher education settings to support the academic success of students
• Excellent communication and engagement skills-written, verbal, interpersonal, and technological
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Ability to work effectively and in partnership with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse campus community
• Experience navigating confidentiality, privacy, and sensitive topics
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative work environment and ability to take initiative and work independently to meet expectations and deadlines
• Possesses strong project management and organizational skills
• A broad knowledge of arts in higher education and the art and design world
• Must be informed of the needs of a diverse, urban, artist population.
• Demonstrated leadership ability
• Skills in crisis management, mediation, student referrals

DETAILS

Reports to VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Supervises- Cultural Oasis Coordinator – full-time staff - Affinity Communities x1

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Art Institute of Chicago is an equal opportunity, equal access employer fully committed to achieving a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe in a staff culture that benefits from a wide range of experience, backgrounds, and career paths, and we encourage nontraditional candidates to apply.

Salary Grade 8

Benefits
We offer a competitive, comprehensive benefits package:

• Generous paid time off
• Paid holidays (up to 14 days)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous parental, caregiver, and medical leave benefits
• Competitive retirement plan (up to 9% matching contribution)
• Tuition remission and Tuition Exchange Program
• Great employee discounts
• Complimentary general admission to participating cultural institutions
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Closing Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, veteran status or citizenship. The Institute complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources atapply_help@artic.edu.