Director of the Glover Alston Intercultural Center

WHITMAN COLLEGE

Located in the historic community of Walla Walla, Whitman’s vibrant and beautiful tree-lined campus is home to an intellectually diverse, dynamic, welcoming and supportive community of some 500 staff and faculty serving approximately 1,500 students from the local region and across the globe. With exceptional students, accomplished faculty and staff, and a fiercely loyal and growing number of engaged alumni, Whitman College continues to build on its national reputation for academic excellence as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.  

 

Whitman College is cultivating a community built on inclusion and belonging. We recognize the value of those who can offer historically underrepresented perspectives and encourage applications from those whose background, knowledge, and insights from lived experience can add to the college’s working and learning environment. Whitman College is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer (EEO).

POSITION PURPOSE

Reporting to the Senior Director of Identity and Belonging, the Director of the Glover Alston Intercultural Center (GAIC) ensures that the GAIC functions as a supportive and affirming campus space for cultivating intercultural competence, cultural humility, and social justice education. The Director provides programs and experiences that help the entire Whitman student body understand their relationships to systems of oppression and to one another. Through collaborative opportunities, the Director fosters community healing, connection, and liberation. Additionally, the Director plays a key role in targeted belonging efforts for First-Generation/Working Class (FG/WC) students, disabled students, veteran students, and international students, while also executing programming that brings students across identities together to learn, engage, and grow in their ability to communicate across differences.

 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Identity and Belonging (60%) 

• Oversee the operation of the Glover Alston Intercultural Center (GAIC), including the Inclusive Excellence Food Pantry, Clothing Closet, and Textbook Lending Library.
• Develop, implement, assess, and enhance GAIC programming, resources, and services to meet the evolving needs of students, with a focus on minoritized communities. 
• Collaborate with campus and community partners to support underrepresented students through guest speakers, film screenings, select heritage month celebrations, and recruitment activities (e.g., Orientation, Summer Fly-In, annual RA training, Visitors Day, etc.). 
• Guide students in navigating campus resources for academic and personal support. 
• Recruit, train, and supervise student employees to assist with facility management and program delivery, fostering identity development, cultural humility, cultural wealth, and cultural pluralism.
• Co-advise the Power & Privilege Symposium student leadership team and support identity-based affinity groups in advancing their mission an DEIA initiatives.  

Management (15%) 

• Supervise, mentor, coach and evaluate student employees. 
• Manage allocated funds to support the Center’s operations and programs.  
• Collaborate on marketing and outreach strategies to promote GAIC services.  
• Serve as a resource on College policies for current and prospective students.

Leadership and Professional Development (10%) 

• Serve on institutional committees related to the advancement of inclusive excellence at the College. 
• Build and foster vital relationships with colleagues across the campus. 
• Pursue ongoing professional development to stay current on DEIA concepts and higher education issues.  

Assessment (10%) 

• Establish data-driven goals and benchmarks that prioritize student needs related to identity and belonging. 
• Develop and implement assessment protocols to measure the GAIC’s programs’ success, aligning with Division and College goals. 
• Provide quarterly and annual reports on progress, including financial and staffing assessments. 

College and Division Service (5%) 

• Support Inclusi