On October 2, 2023, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the College of Liberal Arts and Associate Professor Malinda Alaine Lindquist will assume the role of Associate Vice President for Institutional Engagement and Education Justice in the Office for Equity and Diversity (OED). As Associate Vice President, Professor Lindquist will assist in the development and implementation of diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity initiatives that are in alignment with the University’s strategic plan and partner across the University of Minnesota system to increase the sense of belonging and inclusion for all. She will also have senior leadership responsibility for OED’s Education Program and for the following units that engage issues of campus cultures and climate – the Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life (GSC), the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE), the Circle for Indigenous Nations, the newly created Sexual Misconduct Prevention Program and the Women’s Center.
For the past two years, Associate Dean Lindquist has, with her incredible staff and over a dozen collaborative partners in the college and across the University system, established a new office that provides leadership to the College and its units regarding diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and racial justice and equity. She is incredibly proud of their work to strengthen the culture of DEI throughout CLA and in its policies, procedures, and practices and in building shared understandings of how these values serve our increasingly diverse undergraduate, graduate student, staff, and faculty communities.
Institutional engagement and education justice have been central to her approach. In CLA, she supported and cultivated sustained engagement around DEISJ efforts from the grassroots to the grasstops through a praxis that is historical, contextual, research-based, and built on maintaining authentic and joyful relationships grounded in the core values of mutuality, love, and care. Engaging in strategic, mutually-beneficial partnerships within CLA as well as with university partners, like OED, CEI, OUE, and the GSDO, has been critical to her collegiate efforts and will be a useful point of reference and experience for her work strengthening and aligning our systemwide priorities.
"As AVP," Lindquist shares, "I am eager to work collaboratively, model and co-create a shared equity leadership praxis, hold accountability as outlined in the position description, and serve and represent an institution positioned to bind equity and excellence, understanding their inextricable connection. It is my honor to lead and learn at this critical juncture with OED's incredible leadership team."
Lindquist continues, "Working strategically and collaboratively to support the Education and Prevention Programs and Centers in their expansive and critical missions resonates with me personally and intellectually, given my own positionalities. As a beneficiary of similar types of spaces during my own educational journey; as a scholar who studies race, class, gender, intersectionality, and the social construction of knowledge; and as a practitioner who continues to witness the value of these spaces for our community members; championing the frequently underrecognized scholar-practitioners, who foster and maintain these centers, is an honor and a privilege."
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Malinda Lindquist to the Office of Equity and Diversity and in the inaugural position of Associate Vice President of Institutional Engagement and Education Justice,” expressed Vice President Ramírez Fernández. “She is the perfect person for this role.”
“During her rich tenure at CLA, Dr. Malinda Lindquist steadily cultivated partnerships systemwide, curated spaces for learning, understanding, and meaning-making, and created mechanisms to strategically advance the mission of the College through a lens of diversity, inclusion, belonging, and racial/social justice. Her lived experiences as a scholar, practitioner, and community member uniquely position her to continue the excellent work of our team of engaged scholar-practitioners who lead Education, Prevention Programs, and Centers.”
Professor Lindquist is an associate professor of history and affiliate faculty in African American & African studies and gender, women & sexuality studies in the College of Liberal Arts.
Position Overview
In this newly reimagined role, the Associate Vice President for Institutional Engagement and Education Justice will play a pivotal role in implementing impactful education and training programs, and partnering across the University of Minnesota system to increase the sense of belonging and inclusion for all. In doing so, the ideal candidate will be a trusted partner in creating and maintaining an equitable and inclusive environment for the university community.
Reporting to the Vice President for Equity and Diversity (VPE&D) and collaborating with other senior academic and administrative leaders, the Associate Vice President for Institutional Engagement and Education Justice (AVP) will assist in the development and implementation of diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity initiatives that are in alignment with the University’s strategic plan. This work will be carried out by the Office for Equity and Diversity (OED) and led by the VPE&D, reaffirming and nurturing a community and campus climate that values the “collective voice.” The University of Minnesota understands that these efforts must extend beyond the walls of the institution and into the community that continues to hold the University as a leader around issues of diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity.