Missouri State University has named its first permanent vice president for diversity and inclusion as well as its permanent equal opportunity officer and director of the office for institutional equity and compliance.
The university hired Kenneth Coopwood as vice president for diversity and inclusion, effective Oct. 1. H. Wesley Pratt was named the permanent equal opportunity officer and director of the office for institutional equity and compliance, effective Sept. 1.
Coopwood replaces Leslie Anderson, who has served as interim vice president since August 2010. Anderson - previously an associate professor in the department of counseling, leadership and special education - will aid the transition until the end of the year before returning to the faculty full time Jan. 1, according to a news release.
Coopwood has worked for eight years at Gary, Ind.-based Indiana University Northwest as director of diversity programming, assistant to the chancellor and as an adjunct faculty member.
“He has the right combination of talent, experience and interpersonal skill to help us achieve our diversity goals. We look forward to having him join our team," MSU Interim President Clif Smart said in the release.
Coopwood, who will receive a salary of $112,000, will manage the office for institutional equity and compliance, multicultural student services, the Multicultural Resource Center and the Disability Resource Center. Within the multicultural student services, Coopwood will be in charge of
TRIO Student Support Services, a grant-funded program by the Department of Education that helps students from low-income families attend college.
Pratt has served as interim equal opportunity officer and director of the office for institutional equity and compliance since February.
“Wes has proven himself to be a valuable asset as the equal opportunity officer,” Smart said in the release. “He has strong commitments both to Missouri State and to the community of Springfield, which is important."
Pratt, who will receive a salary of $75,000, has worked as MSU's diversity outreach coordinator for the office of the provost since 2007. Before joining MSU, Pratt served as deputy director of the Maryland Job Corp Centers and as director of the California Conservation Corps in Sacramento, Calif. He also worked as a law partner for San Diego, Calif.-based Kemp & Pratt and held a position on the San Diego City Council.
Both appointments await approval by the the school's board of governors, which is expected to vote on the position at its Oct. 28 meeting.[[In-content Ad]]
