The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has announced a field of four finalist for the position of vice president and associate provost for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each of the four candidates will visit the university’s campus by the end of March to meet with faculty and staff and to participate in an open forum. All four candidates are African Americans.
Shakeer Abdullah is the assistant vice president for equity and diversity at the University of Minnesota. He has served in this role since 2013. Earlier, Dr. Abdullah was the director of the multicultural center at Auburn University in Alabama. A graduate of Wittenberg University in Ohio, Dr. Abdullah holds a master’s degree from Ohio State University and a doctorate in higher education administration from Auburn University.
Bryan K. Fair is the Thomas E. Skinner Professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. He has served on the law school’s faculty since 1991. Professor Fair has served as director of international programs and associate dean for special programs at the law school. Professor Fair is a graduate of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
Wanda R. Heading-Grant is the vice president for human resources, diversity, and multicultural affairs at the University of Vermont. She has served in this role since 2013 and has been on the staff at the University of Vermont since 1990. Dr. Heading-Grant holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and an educational doctorate from the University of Vermont. She also holds a master’s degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
G. Christine Taylor is the former vice president for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She served in this role from 2009 to 2015. Earlier, Dr. Taylor was associate vice president for institutional diversity at Miami University. Dr. Taylor is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, where she majored in broadcast journalism. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mass communication from Ohio University.
