Published on June 19, 2020

Updated on April 13, 2023

Dear campus community,

It is my pleasure to announce today that I have appointed Maurice Gipson, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, as the Vice Chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity at MU. Gipson will start his new position full-time July 15, 2020, but will be joining some university activities before that date.

As a diversity and inclusion professional at Arkansas State, Gipson made significant progress in advancing diversity and inclusion as core values to the university. Among his notable accomplishments were increasing overall minority student enrollment for three consecutive years, increasing community partnerships by 50% and developing strategic partnerships with 10 historically black colleges and universities as a graduate school pipeline. He also taught undergraduate courses in diversity and United States history.

I extend my thanks to search committee chairs former interim UM System President Mike Middleton and Dean of the College of Arts & Science Pat Okker for their stellar leadership in this search. They have found a talented candidate to help Mizzou move forward, and I appreciate their hard work on this important hire.

I also want to thank NaTashua Davis for her willingness to serve as Interim Vice Chancellor for IDE since July 2019. We’re grateful for her service in such a critical role for MU and appreciate her insight and support of our students, faculty and staff during this important time.

As vice chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, Gipson will be charged with continuing the work to improve our culture of inclusion, including advising the campus on recruiting and retaining students, faculty and staff to enhance our diverse community; expanding existing programs that encourage underrepresented groups to study or work in various disciplines; and improving or developing new training programs for the campus community.

Gipson’s extensive experience working collaboratively with administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members make him uniquely qualified to continue the important work of inclusion, diversity and equity at Mizzou.

During his five years at Arkansas State, Gipson was responsible for managing the 60-member staff of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. He had direct oversight for the office of community engagement, office of multicultural affairs, non-traditional student services, office of access and accommodations, office of military and veteran student success and the office of faculty diversity initiatives.

Gipson also served two years as a special assistant to the vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin. While at UT, Gipson developed curricula for My Brothers’ Keeper Presidential initiative that reached more than 100,000 minority young men and planned and implemented the first Black Student Athlete Conference. As the special assistant, he was responsible for interacting with community members to advance community engagement goals. He coordinated and supervised efforts to support the academic advisement, academic support services, orientation, retention and career planning and placement of minority students.

Gipson also served as an institutional advancement and diversity consultant at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma, where he developed a strategic plan to address poverty in the state. Prior to that, Gipson was a student diversity coordinator at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was responsible for developing a sustainable mentoring program to address the needs of minority students.

Gipson is expected to receive a doctoral degree in history from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, in December, and holds a juris doctor from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as a master’s degree in history from Missouri State University in Springfield, and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Please join me in welcoming Maurice Gipson to Mizzou!

Sincerely,

Mun Y. Choi, PhD
President, UM System and Interim Chancellor, University of Missouri