From the Dean: Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

I am pleased to announce that Marian Higgins, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services, will serve as the associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion on an interim basis during fall semester. Dr. Higgins brings a wealth of professional experience to the role, and I am particularly excited about her expertise in staff development. She is frequently called upon by various groups across campus to lead workshops on DEI issues, and I believe her campus connections will be valuable as we work against racism with the campus community. To help you get to know Higgins, I have attached her vita, and I also encourage you to check out her podcast, Dive In: A Podcast for Career Development Professionals.

I issued a call for applications for the associate dean position in the spring, but there were no applicants. Subsequently, Ed Delgado-Romero (who was the search committee chair) and I had conversations with a number of individuals to try to understand the situation, and we found that while there were people with an interest in the position, the timing was not right for any of them. Thus, because of the critical need for someone to fill this role in light of the ongoing anti-Black racism in our country, I made the decision to appoint an interim associate dean who can begin at the start of fall semester.

We will take fall semester to have some community conversations about the associate dean for DEI role and to chart a path forward. That path may include another internal search, a campus-wide search, a national search, or the opportunity for Higgins to serve in the role on a “non-interim” basis. I look forward to collaborating with you on that process.

Denise A. Spangler
Dean