Matthew Chaney, Ed.D. | Photo by Ferris State University
Wright State University (WSU) President Sue Edwards announced Dr. Matthew C. Chaney’s appointment to the position of Vice President for Inclusive Excellence in a campus-wide communications email on Thursday afternoon.
Overview
As the Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, Dr. Chaney will oversee the Intercultural Centers and work for minority recruitment.
Emily Yantis-Houser, the Intercultural Specialist for the Office of LGBTQA Affairs on campus, extends her welcome to Dr. Chaney.
“Congratulations to Dr. Chaney on his appointment as the first VP of Inclusive Excellence. Dr. Chaney has an extensive and successful history working for and with diverse populations and will be an asset to the Wright State community. We look forward to him joining the Wright State family in June and fostering an institutional culture of equity and inclusion with him for many years to come,” Yantis-Houser said.
Prior to serving as Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, Dr. Chaney served as the Leader and Assistant Leader of the Office of Multicultural Student Services at Ferris State University and working in many areas of intercultural advocacy.
Dr. Chaney received his Ed.D. in community college leadership and a master’s degree in career and technical education, a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing, and an associate degree from Ferris State.
The Position
Vice President for Inclusive Excellence, previously named “Chief Diversity Officer,” has been held by many. This position was previously held by Matt Boaz and was recently vacated by Lindsay Miller in Aug. 2020. Miller held the position in the interim as a result of Boaz’s resignation in Feb. 2019.
Among others in campus inclusivity offices, this vacancy called for an extensive search of leaders that spanned all of the fall semester and continued into the spring.
Interviews and public forums for the position of Intercultural Specialist, Asian and Native American Center will begin on Feb. 11 and finish on Feb. 15.
Goals
Though Dr. Chaney will not start his new position until June 1, 2021, he already has a plan for the position.
As outlined in the announcement, Dr. Chaney will serve under the President’s Office to boost minority and underrepresented students’ recruitment and retention.
This is essential as WSU’s enrollment and retention numbers are below state averages for a public university. According to WSU, fall semester enrollment numbers were at 12,234, which is lower than that of fall 2019, which showed enrollment at 13,724 students.
Currently, only 21.6% of the student population hold minority status.
In order to better guide his goals, one of the first tasks he sets out to achieve is a diversity climate survey. This survey will help better guide the needs and wishes of the minority communities at WSU in an effort to better foster inclusivity amongst the Raider community.
