Community College Offering $100K Salary for Chief Diversity Officer

A job listing for the Chief Diversity Officer post at Westchester Community College in New York state is offering a starting salary of $102,296.

A job listing posted to the careers page of Inside Higher Ed describes the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion/Chief Diversity Officer position that the college is hoping to fill. The position is described as an administrative seat under the direction of the President of the College that will serve to coordinate all efforts related to promoting and establishing diversity.

Under the direction of the President of Westchester Community College, the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)/Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) serves as a senior member of the campus administration and is responsible for coordinating, guiding, supporting, and promoting all efforts related to establishing diversity, equity and inclusion excellence throughout the college community.  The CDO partners and works collaboratively with campus leaders, faculty, staff, students, various committees, and external constituencies to promote and support the implementation and evaluation of best practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion in such areas as:

1. Awareness and competencies within and throughout the college culture,

2. Recruitment and retention of diverse groups of employees and students,

3. Curriculum and pedagogy for learning and student success.

At $102,296, the salary of the Chief Diversity Officer at Westchester Community College comes in higher than the salary of equivalent positions at three of the country’s biggest state universities, all of which, unlike Westchester, have an admissions process in which a diversity officer is required to suggest ways in which the institution can recruit a more diverse student body.

At Westchester Community College, the Chief Diversity Officer “will also serve as the college’s Affirmative Action Office,” but likely only for faculty hires, because, as a community college, it maintains open enrollment for students who reside in the campus’ surrounding areas.

The application asks that candidates have a master’s degree and seven years of relevant experience working in an administrative supervisory position in addition to a minimum of two years of work “in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a higher education setting is also required.”

Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com