As institutions across the country are addressing fundamental issues of diversity and race, Loyola University Chicago (LUC) recently announced a series of developments designed to fulfill the University’s goal of becoming an anti-racist institution embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as an integral part of its Jesuit mission. After a national search led by Koya Partners and supported by a search committee comprised of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, President Jo Ann Rooney has selected Dominique Jordan Turner as Vice President of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Ms. Jordan Turner brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a business and social justice professional. Her consultant firm, Dare to Be the First, helps first-generation and marginalized communities achieve their full leadership potential beyond college degrees. Ms. Jordan Turner also served as President and CEO of Chicago Scholars, where she oversaw an educational program that helped students from underserved neighborhoods get in and through college. A Jesuit-educated and first-generation college graduate, Ms. Jordan Turner received her bachelor’s degree from Clark Atlanta University in business administration and her master’s degree in business administration from Marquette University, both magna cum laude. She is a Kellogg Executive Scholar through Northwestern University, in addition to being an Obama Foundation fellow. Dr. Jo Ann Rooney, President of Loyola University Chicago, states, “The ongoing transformation we seek at Loyola is anything but conventional, and Dominique brings authentic experiences and different perspectives that will aid our University in becoming more equitable, inclusive and justice-oriented.”
The role of VP of Institutional DEI in February 2021, following meetings and input from sectors across the University, including student groups such as Black Student Leaders, the Black Cultural Center, and Student Government Loyola Chicago. The role involves leading the formation of a community vision and strategy for DEI at Loyola through coordinating efforts across every aspect of the University and establishing measurable outcomes for growth and accountability, internally and externally. She will report to Dr. Rooney and also regularly update the Board of Trustees on this mission-critical work.
The creation of this role is part of the University’s Anti-Racism initiative, and Loyola continues to work on this initiative from various aspects, such as diversifying the staff. Of the 39 full-time faculty hired between August 2020-May 2021, 79 percent identify as people of color. The progress is partly due to changes the University adopted in its hiring process that are structural and material, including mandating implicit bias for all search committees and engaging diverse faculty liaisons in the hiring process led by Dr. Badia Ahad, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs.
This academic year, and after several years of focused work, nearly half (49 percent) of all students self-identify as a person of color, putting LUC among the most diverse major colleges in the Chicagoland area. In the coming months, Ms. Jordan Turner will meet with student groups, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders to build relationships, gather perspectives, and chart out the designs for ongoing organizational transformation. “For the past 20 years, I’ve used my voice and my leadership to create more just and equitable outcomes for marginalized populations,” said Dominique Jordan Turner. “This has been my life’s work, and I’m honored to continue that work by helping Chicago’s leading Jesuit institution embark on this transformation. The work will be hard, and at times uncomfortable, but there is a level of urgency and commitment that I felt from everyone I engaged with through the search process. I am confident that Loyola University Chicago is eager and ready to create a space that is truly welcoming, thriving, and equitable for all students, staff, faculty, and the community at large.”
More information on Loyola University Chicago’s Anti-Racism Initiative can be found at: https://www.luc.edu/ari/.
Chante’ Gamby is a writer passionate about social justice and empowering others to live their healthiest lives. You can follow her on Facebook at Fringefam, Instagram@fringegram, or on her website, www.fringefam.com.
About Post Author
