Now Hiring: Assistant Director of Multicultural Programs and Services at St. Catherine University

Thanks to Anna for sharing this job posting at St. Catherine University to serve as the Assistant Director of Multicultural Programs and Services. Learn more online!

Assistant Director of Multicultural Programs and Services

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Posting Details

Position Information

St. Catherine University in St. Paul/Minneapolis is a comprehensive Catholic university with the nation’s largest college for women at its center. Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905, the University integrates liberal arts and professional education within the Catholic traditions of intellectual inquiry and social teaching. Committed to excellence and opportunity, St. Catherine enrolls over 5,300 students in associate, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs in both traditional day and weekend formats. Associate and Graduate programs enroll both women and men.

Job Title	Assistant Director of Multicultural Programs and Services
Primary Campus	St. Paul
Posting Number	20140023-STAFF

Position Summary Information

Position Responsibilities	St. Catherine University, a Catholic liberal arts college for women, serving a population of 28% students of color, is accepting applications for Assistant Director of Multicultural Programs and Services. This fulltime position is responsible for implementing retention programs for U.S., immigrant and refugee students of color. We seek creative, adaptable employees who are comfortable with the mission of this Catholic institution and enjoy working in a campus climate that promotes multicultural understanding. Consistent with the University’s commitment to women, diversity and social justice, preference will be given to candidates who manifest these themes in their work and service. We value having a diverse pool of candidates. Applications from candidates of color are especially encouraged. Responsibilities: Assist with the development, implementation, coordination and assessment of services and retention programs for students of color at the St. Catherine University. The Assistant Director will be responsible for a peer mentor program for first year students, retreat planning, initial and ongoing student contact, educational and social programming, building community and student leadership, advising multicultural student organizations and individual students, supervising student workers, and serving on various committees. The Assistant Director also advocates for equity and inclusion at the University, facilitates student development and educates students to advocate, provides resources and referrals for college success, and collaborates with local multicultural communities. Compensation includes comprehensive benefits package.
Position Qualifications		Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree required; Masters preferred. Three (3) years minimum experience working with diverse student populations is also required. Candidates must have experience and knowledge in working with students of color in an educational setting, experience working with first generation college students, immigrants, refugees and experience engaging in multicultural communities. Familiarity with racial identity development and cultural adaptation issues a plus. In addition, candidates should have demonstrated experience in program development, group facilitation, and strong administrative, organizational and interpersonal skills. Creativity, multi-tasking, and listening are also necessary skills. Previous experience in higher education or working with college students preferred. The successful candidate must have the ability to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, in a manner that affirms the worth and preserves the dignity of individuals, families and communities.
Special/Other Requirements Summary		To apply: Please go to the St. Catherine University Employment Site to electronically apply for this position. Website link is: http://www.stkate.edu/hr Applicants may also visit the St. Catherine University Human Resources office to submit an electronic application. We are located in Derham Hall, Room 8. Priority will be given to applications received by May 2, 2014. St. Catherine University 2004 Randolph Avenue St. Paul, MN 55105 EEO/AA/Drug Free Workplace Employer Tobacco-Free Campuses Our University is a proud member of the Upper Midwest HERC and is committed to recruiting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff and assisting dual career couples. For more information and to find other higher education jobs in the Upper Midwest region, visit: www.uppermidwestherc.org

Cross-Post | White Privilege: The Elephant in Minnesota's Living Room

Following the Affirming Authenticity Conversation Series: Identity-Driven Leadership [at Work] conversation last Tuesday, panelist Nekima Levy-Pounds passed along this blog post she wrote for the Star Tribune. She shared that the writing was inspired in part by the dialogue that evening!

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Nekima Levy-Pounds is a professor of law at the University of St. Thomas Law School and the founding director of the Community Justice Project, a civil rights legal clinic. She is an expert on issues at the intersection of race, law, criminal justice, public education and public policy. Follow her on Twitter at @nvlevy.

White Privilege: The Elephant in Minnesota's Living Room

Posted by: Nekima Levy-Pounds Updated: May 20, 2014 - 3:26 AM

Let me warn you up front. Many of the folks reading this blog post may not like what I have to say. But that's neither here nor there. I have to get this off my chest. I am tired of attending meetings and events in which folks are having conversations about equity and are delicately skirting around the issue of race. Hardly ever are notions of racial bias and discrimination and just "plain ole racism" part of the conversation. All too often, such issues remain at a surface level, which leads to very safe, comfortable dialogue that does not push us to address the real challenges that are hindering our progress as a state and reinforcing intolerable racial disparities. 

Society is still separate; still unequal

Beyond that, many of these conversations about "equity" consist of white Minnesotans in the upper echelon talking to each other about issues that impact communities of color and yet there are often just one or two "representatives" in the room from those communities. Half the time, I'm one of those two representatives. And when I look around those rooms and observe a sea of predominately white faces, it occurs to me that the lack of diversity around those tables and the relative comfort levels of those in attendance reveals more than any fifty page study ever could about the true state of race relations in Minnesota. Sadly, it appears that 60 years after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, our society is still separate and unequal and unwilling to change anytime soon. (If you don't believe me, please take time to travel to various neighborhoods throughout the Metro area and outstate Minnesota to see the levels of segregation and income inequality firsthand.)

If we are serious about getting to the root of the problems that exist, we must acknowledge the role that white privilege plays in maintaining the status quo and keeping the poor and oppressed locked out of access to economic opportunity. According to Tim Wise, an antiracist essayist, author, and educator, who happens to identify as white, "White privilege refers to any advantage, opportunity, benefit, head start, or general protection from negative social mistreatment, which persons deemed white will typically enjoy, but which others will generally not enjoy. These benefits can be material ( such as greater opportunities in the labor market, or greater net worth, due to a history in which whites had greater opportunity to accumulate wealth than persons of color), social......or psychological (....).

Equity requires more than good intentions

For those who consider themselves to be progressive and are wondering what I mean, I'm referring to the fact that working towards achieving equity requires much more than good conversations and good intentions. It requires a willingness to examine one's own internal beliefs about people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as the level of privilege one may have had as a result of race and/or socio-economic status and the benefits that flowed and continue to flow. It also requires a willingness to look at the staff of one's organization or company and conduct an honest assessment of whether or not the staff and management are reflective of the levels of diversity that exist within the Twin Cities, and then to make the necessary changes to practice real equity and inclusion. It still shocks me when I walk into certain offices across the Metro and find that 100% of the employees are white. Many folks in positions of authority talk a good game about wanting to achieve equity, but when the rubber meets the road, few are willing to demonstrate the courage that it takes to go against the grain and radically transform the environment in which they work and play to ensure true equity and inclusion.

Instead, white privilege allows individuals and institutions to place blame on families, cultures, and communities for the challenges they face without ever having to examine the roles that structural and institutional racism have played and do play in shaping public policy, laws, and practices that unfairly harm and exclude those on the margins of society. The reality is that those same marginalized communities that we are taught to demonize and pathologize over and over again do not have adequate access to political capital, social capital, or economic resources to reshape the systems that impact their lives.

The poor are often excluded

In fact, rarely are the poor placed in positions to make decisions that will impact the well-being of their own communities and the lives of their children. Rarely are the poor provided the opportunity to weigh in on city ordinances and laws that are being passed that will affect their quality of life and their ability to walk city streets free from harassment or government interference. And finally, rarely are the poor placed in positions to make hiring decisions that will determine who gains access to jobs that pay a living wage and that may ultimately provide a pathway out of poverty for them and their families. Indeed, when you are a person of color in Minnesota, you are typically at the mercy of white people who overwhelmingly, by sheer force of numbers, control every single system from education, to business, to economics, to government, to higher education, to media, to criminal justice, to the judiciary, to the nonprofit sector, to transportation, to philanthropy, and health care among others. Imagine the cumulative impacts that this has on communities of color over time and what this does to one's psyche and sense of self-determination, not to mention the economic impacts of being unable to control your own destiny.

Thus, it is important to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to provide a balance within these systems and to work rigorously to ensure equitable outcomes for those populations that are in the minority. In order to change things, we must be honest about the role that race plays in shaping lives, families, and communities and to deal with the notion of white privilege openly and honestly (and not just in the comments section of blogs where one can espouse racial prejudices and hide safely behind a computer screen.) White privilege is the elephant in the room and we must acknowledge its presence in order to move things forward in our community and in our state.

Affirming Authenticity Conversation Series: Identity-Driven Leadership [at Work]

LOCUS held the second event of our three-part conversation series titled “Affirming Authenticity: Identity-Driven Leadership,” at the Rondo Community Library on Thursday, April 24. This event explored the idea of being a woman of diversity in a professional setting while remaining authentic to oneself. Attendees discussed the desire to be seen for who they are and what they contribute as a person, not solely as a woman or a woman of color.

We were joined at the table by two extraordinary women of diversity: Terra Cole, Executive Director of Heritage Park Neighborhood Association, and Sahra Noor, Director of Community Health and Language Services at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. Terra and Sahra engaged in open, honest discussion about what identity-driven leadership means to each of them personally, and what it has looked like in their professional lives. Both shared that their upbringings were instrumental in shaping the women they are today and the ways in which they carry themselves in the workplace. Our panel then transitioned into a large group dialogue where all attendees took part in exploring what authenticity means to them in their workplaces. 

 

Some of the key insights generated during the large-group conversation include:

• As women of diversity, we are able to bring a different perspective and/or understanding that others may have not considered.
• Often times, we sit around the table with others who do not look like us, butit is important to embrace your identity in the same fashion that others around you do.
• Differences between people should always be desired in the professional setting. There have been several studies which support the idea that businesses can be more effective and healthier when there is diversity, whether it is with gender or race.
• It is important to realize that there will regularly be situations in which we may feel uncomfortable in our professional settings. While there isn’t any doubt that women of diversity face hardships in the workplace, however, it is important to understand we can help to break down these barriers.
• Be a “good steward,” work hard, and open the door for the next person. We should always be active in opening the door for multicultural spaces and opportunities, because THAT is how we grow individually, and collectively.

Affirming Authenticity: Identity-Driven Leadership [for Yourself]

Affirming Authenticity: Identity-Driven Leadership [for Yourself]

Tuesday, May 13, 2014
5:15pm Registration; 5:30pm - 7:30pm Program
Rondo Community Outreach Library

Register online.

Admission: $7.00

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Identity-driven leadership can provide women of diversity a strong sense of self and purpose. It is critical to consider how your story has come to be: Have you let others define you and who you are? Or do you maintain the power to determine your identity and to tell your own story? In a world where our identities are comprised of multiple interrelated layers and we often are the sole representatives seen from our communities, how can we overcome pre-conceived notions of us and our experiences?

                              

Join us for a stimulating conversation with Nekima Levy-Pounds from the University of St. Thomas Law School and Rinal Ray from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. We will discuss how creating and acting from our own sense of core identity can empower us to lead in authentic and sustaining ways to achieve our personal and community goals.

Light refreshments will be provided.