Hilda Ladner Appointed:

Assistant to the Chancellor for Equity and Diversity and Director of the Multi-Ethnic Student Program

January 8, 2008 Chancellor Johnson and I are very pleased to announce the successful conclusion to our national search for an Assistant to the Chancellor for Equity and Diversity/Director of the Multi-Ethnic Student Program.  As you know, we hosted campus interviews for two very experienced candidates during fall semester.  Based on a great search committee report, strong support from campus community members who participated in the process and exceptional reference checks, I offered the position to Hilda Ladner.  She has accepted our offer and will assume her role in March 2008.

Ms. Ladner has directed the Multicultural Student Center at Northern Arizona University for the past six years. She has led the center in strategic planning, goal setting, and assessment.  Their summer bridge programs supporting entering students of color, first generation college students, and students with high financial need show significant positive impact on student retention and academic success. Ms. Ladner has been recognized with the President's Award for Ethnic Diversity by her Northern Arizona University for one of the programs she initiated, 'Community Awareness and Respect for Everyone.' She has been involved in a broad range of campus governance and planning groups addressing issues of difference and other big picture university issues.

Ladner earned her master's of education in bilingual/multicultural education and her bachelor of arts in modern languages, French and Spanish at Northern Arizona University. Her professional experience in multicultural affairs spans 13 years.  She has been active professionally in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA.)

Ms. Ladner has worked extensively with community members on issues related to access to higher education.  She has helped university students connect with their local community through service learning and community partnerships.  She served on the United Way of Northern Arizona - Success by Six Advisory Board, as a Big Brothers/Big Sisters university pipeline program mentor, and worked with elementary school children in the "Calling All Colors" program and middle school children and their mothers in the Hispanic Mother Daughter Program.

Our great thanks to Michelle Page and Lori Koshork, for their service as co-chairs for the search committee; Bonnie Tipcke who provided support for the search; and Joel Eisinger, Rickey Hall, T.J. Ross, Nate Giles, Ashley Fairchild, Bao Thao and Viri Zuniga for their thoughtful work with this important process. I would like to thank Fang Du, Mike Miller, Bonnie Tipcke, Chris Butler and Chip Beal for their extra leadership and good work in the Multi-Ethnic Student Program throughout this transition.
We are confident that Ms. Ladner's experience, skill, and commitment will serve UMM well as we work together to realize our commitment to educating a talented and diverse student body, building a respectful and inclusive campus culture, and preparing interculturally competent graduates for leadership in a global community.  We will host a variety of opportunities for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to welcome our new colleague in March.

Sandy Olson-Loy
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Additional Information:

• Position Announcement (PDF)
• Chronicle of Higher Education Ad (PDF)
• University of Minnesota, Morris: Equity and Diversity Recommendations (PDF)
• University of Minnesota, Morris Multicultural Student Life Chart (PDF)