Rodmon King named new Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion
Rodmon Cedric King, currently the chief diversity and inclusion officer at the State University of New York at Oswego, has been named the next dean of institutional equity and inclusion at Connecticut College. He will begin his new role Jan. 31.
King brings to Conn two decades of professional experience in higher education. Trained as a philosopher, he earned a B.A. from Roberts Wesleyan College, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Ancient Philosophy from the University of Rochester. As a member of the philosophy department at Hobart and William Smith Colleges from 2005–2015, he won awards for his teaching, mentoring and community service, while also establishing his leadership in equity and inclusion. He served as an adviser to the Black Student Union; represented the Consortium for Faculty Diversity; and co-founded “Tools for Social Change,” a dialogue-driven initiative to advance equity in the Finger Lakes region—a program that continues to this day. King moved to Centre College in 2015, transitioning fully into administration as associate vice president for academic affairs and diversity initiatives. From there, he was recruited to SUNY, where he was tasked with creating the first division of diversity, equity and inclusion at Oswego while taking on roles of increasing responsibility for the SUNY system as a whole.
At Oswego, King has been responsible for elevating the College’s strategic efforts around equity, including the launch of a three-year Grand Challenge on race, racism, and social justice and the design of a new Institute for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Transformative Practice. He has worked with student government and countless student leaders on equity initiatives; directed the university’s DEI Advisory Council; chaired the BIPOC faculty and staff coalition; and made efforts to improve city-campus relations with leaders in the City of Oswego. As deputy chief diversity officer for the SUNY system, he has helped design and assess DEI plans; chaired the system’s Diversity Advisory Council; and launched a new Native American Initiative. He has also served in a leadership capacity on other SUNY campuses when circumstances have required it.
As Conn’s new dean of institutional equity and inclusion, King will be responsible for advancing full participation as a strategic priority. This includes implementing the next phase of the College’s Equity and Inclusion Action Plan; overseeing the ongoing strength of Unity House, the LGBTQIA Center, the Women’s Center, Hillel House, and the Chapel; and supporting a strong team of professional staff in their work on equity and compliance, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, religion and spirituality, accessibility services, bias education and response, sexual violence prevention, and intergroup dialogue—all in order to improve the experience of an increasingly diverse student body, faculty and staff.
“I am thrilled that Rodmon King will bring his talent, intellect and deep commitment to full participation to the leadership of our campus,” President Katherine Bergeron said in an announcement to the campus community.
Ari Rotramel, Vandana Shiva Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies at Conn, will continue to serve as interim dean until Rodmon assumes the role at the end of January.
