The position is an elevation from the former position of assistant vice president for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Education and Compliance. MSU deputy spokesperson Dan Olsen said the role was implemented to reflect the importance of the position. 

“We made the determination, given the significance of this role and the important role that that plays within our Title IX and Office for Civil Rights office, that it needed to be elevated from an assistant vice president to a vice president role,” Olsen said. 

President emeritus Samuel L. Stanley Jr. created an eight-member search committee with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to conduct a national search for the position last fall.

When the finalists visit campus, they will meet with stakeholders and deliver a public presentation, which will be live streamed, an email from interim president Teresa Woodruff to the MSU community said.

A question and answer session will follow the presentations. Community members will be able to provide feedback on the first finalist on April 11 from 10 to 11 a.m. and the second finalist on April 14 from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. Both feedback sessions will be held in room 443 of the Hannah Administration Building as well as over zoom.

“That is important for many of these leadership roles to have that feedback opportunity,” Olsen said. “That feedback loop from our community to understand from them their thoughts on our final candidates to areas that may weigh into deciding who the best choice is for these roles as leaders for the institution.”