Assistant Director for Retention and Equity Initiatives (Internal CU Employee Applicants and PASSHE SCUPA Applicants Only)

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education provides a comprehensive package of employer benefits to eligible employees and their enrolled dependent(s), which include*:

*Specific benefits may vary based upon university, employee group and/or collective bargaining unit. Visit: http://www.passhe.edu/inside/HR/syshr/healthcare/Pages/Summary-of-Benefits.aspx for additional information regarding benefits.

To be eligible for most benefits, you must be a permanent, full-time employee (including temporary, full-time faculty with at least an academic year contract) or a permanent, part-time employee (including temporary, part-time faculty with at least an academic year contract) who is scheduled to work every pay period for at least 50% of full-time hours.

The Assistant Director for Retention and Equity Initiatives is a grant funded position within Commonwealth University’s Center for Access and Engagement. The Center for Access and Engagement (A&E) offers research-based programs and initiatives designed to promote community, engage students in intensive and intentional co-curricular learning opportunities and offer compassion centered student support. Services offered by A&E are unique because they incorporate academic support, student services/affairs, co-curricular learning, and equity-based initiatives. In essence, the work of A&E touches on all student facing divisions/units of Commonwealth University, to include Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management and DEIB.

The Center for Access and Engagement operates the university’s Act 101 program. The Center for Access and Engagement also operates the Emerging Scholars program, the K. Leroy Irvis Leadership Institute, the Out of the Classroom: Into the Community Initiative and the Basic Needs Shoppe. A&E also partners with school districts and youth serving agencies to provide college exposure opportunities for underrepresented high school students. In addition, The Center for Access and Engagement provides support for academic programs such as the Black Studies Minor and the Frederick Douglass Institute for Academic Excellence.

The Assistant Director for Retention and Equity Initiatives will play a key role in assisting students in reaching their educational, cultural and personal goals. The incumbent will seek to enhance student support, develop and implement educational programming, supervise student staff and assist A&E in addressing resource insecurity among CU students.

The University prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, marital or family status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or disability in any decision regarding admissions, employment, or participation in a University program or activity in accordance with the letter and spirit of federal, state, and local non-discrimination and equal opportunity laws, such as Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and ADA Amendments Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.

The University also complies with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crimes Statistics Act, as amended by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Title IX prohibits retaliation for asserting or otherwise participating in claims of sex discrimination. VAWA imposes additional duties on universities and colleges to investigate and respond to reports of sexual assault, stalking, and dating or domestic violence, and to publish policies and procedures related to the way these reports are handled. The University has designated the Title IX Coordinator (Jennifer Raup, Elwell Hall, ORL, 570-389-4808, jraup@commonwealthu.edu or titleixcoord@commonwealthu.edu), to coordinate the University’s compliance with Title IX and VAWA and to respond to reports of violations. The University has directed the Police Department to coordinate the University’s compliance with the VAWA-related Clery reporting requirements. For information on the University’s crime statistics, which is available in a publication called “Annual Security Report”, please contact Commonwealth University – Bloomsburg Police at 570-389-2211, Commonwealth University – Mansfield Police at 570-662-4900, or Commonwealth University – Lock Haven Police at 570-484-2278 or by accessing the following website: https://www.commonwealthu.edu/offices-directory/university-police/annual-security-report. Additionally, inquiries concerning Title IX and its implementing regulation can be made to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Region III, The Wanamaker Building, 100 Penn Square East – Suite 505, Philadelphia, PA 19107; Phone: (215) 656-6010; Fax: (215) 656-6020.