News & Events

Denise O’Neil Green has been appointed as Ryerson’s first assistant vice president/vice provost equity, diversity and inclusion. Her term will begin September 1st.

O’Neil Green joins Ryerson from Central Michigan University (CMU) where she is associate vice president for institutional diversity, serving as chief diversity officer for the university. She brings to Ryerson a wealth of experience and academic knowledge to shape policies and procedures that reflect the university's goal of setting the standard in equity, diversity and inclusion. This newly created position is one of the university's commitments following the report and recommendations of the Taskforce on Anti-Racism.

Throughout her academic career, O'Neil Green has championed cultural change in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion on university campuses. Since arriving at CMU in 2007, she has worked closely with students, faculty and staff on a variety of projects that range from recruitment and retention of faculty from diverse communities to post-secondary pipeline programs. She has advanced curricular initiatives, spearheaded implementation of CMU's strategic diversity plan, secured grant funding to serve first generation students and worked with external constituencies on local diversity initiatives. At CMU, O'Neil Green has overseen the Office of Multicultural Academic Student Services; the Office of Diversity Education; native American programs; pre-college programs; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer services. In fall 2011, she opened the Center for Inclusion and Diversity, a facility that showcases the growing importance of equity, diversity and inclusion on CMU's campus.

O'Neil Green's dedication to diversity and inclusion has had an impact beyond her campus community, resonating within academic circles. She has authored or co-authored 60 articles, books, book chapters, reports and papers, along with lectures on topics including racial diversity, race and gender, racial equality, and best practices in implementing diversity initiatives.

O'Neil Green earned her PhD in higher education and public policy with an emphasis in diversity from the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; a master’s degree in public affairs in domestic education policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University; and a bachelor's degree in behaviourial sciences from the University of Chicago.

The position of assistant vice president/vice provost (AVP/VP) reports jointly to the provost and vice president academic and the vice-president, administration and finance and has a broad mandate for campus-wide issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion. The position will play a central role in education and training initiatives. The AVP/VP will identify the varied dimensions of equity, diversity and inclusion at Ryerson and work on how best to facilitate full participation and provide opportunities for the entire community to benefit from studying and working in an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment. Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Services and Ryerson Aboriginal Initiatives will report to the new position.

Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 28,000 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and 140,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past five years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Suelan Toye
Public Affairs | Ryerson University
Office: 416-979-5000 x 7161 | stoye@ryerson.ca
@RyersonNews

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