Faculty Director of Affirmative Action

Dear all,

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Jeffrey Schneider, Associate Professor of German Studies, for a five-year period as the College’s Faculty Director of Affirmative Action, reporting to the Dean of Faculty. The appointment will begin July 1, 2023. Professor Schneider will maintain his academic role, with reduced teaching responsibilities, in the Department of German Studies.

The faculty director of affirmative action is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the college’s compliance with its affirmative action, nondiscrimination and non-harassment policies as they relate to the faculty. The faculty director participates in enhancing the processes and creating the structures that foster a diverse faculty. Per the Governance, the faculty director is responsible to the president and works with the dean of the faculty, the equal opportunity and affirmative action officer, and department chairs and program directors to hire and retain faculty in accordance with equal opportunity and affirmative action policies and in keeping with the college’s policies.

Professor Schneider has been the interim Faculty Director of Affirmative Action since January 2022 (as well as in various past semesters) and has chaired the Committee on Inclusion and Equity (CIE) for two years. Since 2022, Professor Schneider worked closely with our previous Faculty Director, Professor Colleen Cohen, who served so tirelessly and effectively in this role for more than a decade. Professor Cohen has had an enormous positive impact on the College in this role, and we are profoundly grateful for her contributions.

In all of his work, Professor Schneider has shown himself to be an outstanding listener, communicator, problem solving, and collaborator. I could not be more pleased that Professor Schneider will be taking on this role—at a time when the legality and contours of affirmative action in the context of college admission is under scrutiny by the U.S. Supreme Court. I know that Professor Schneider will bring a high level of analysis, clear thinking, and compassion to his work as Faculty Director of Affirmative Action.

Please join me in thanking Professor Cohen for all her amazing years of dedicated leadership and congratulating Professor Schneider on taking on this important role in the college.

Elizabeth H. Bradley, President
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
@EHBVassar