Chicago college hires 'Black Feminist Scholar' to review DEI efforts
The consultant will “assess” current DEI efforts, assisting administrators in building “an infrastructure capable of better supporting the college’s ambition to be a national leader in this area.”
Columbia College Chicago invited Tobias Spears, a DEI consultant and officer at the University of Chicago, to review its efforts to increase diversity.
Columbia College Chicago invited Tobias Spears, a DEI consultant and officer at the University of Chicago, to review its efforts to increase diversity.
The college announced the move in a letter that alerted faculty to the departure of Jessica Meharry, the College’s DEI director.
As part of his temporary role, Spears will “assess” current DEI efforts, assisting administrators in building “an infrastructure capable of better supporting the college’s ambition to be a national leader in this area,” President Kwang-Wu Kim said in an August 7 email to faculty obtained by Campus Reform. Kim noted that he expects Spears’ recommendation report at the end of the fall semester.
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Spears, who describes himself as a “Black Feminist Scholar” on his LinkedIn page. He worked at Bowling Green State University from 2011 to 2016, in several roles, including assistant director of LGBT programs, an instructor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, and assistant director of access, diversity and inclusion programs.
As part of his current role as DEI officer at the University of Chicago, Spears supervises DEI staff and “allocate[s] budgetary resources to diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives,” according to his description of the job on his LinkedIn profile.
In his email to faculty, Kim pointed to several areas where school administrators are building a DEI brand, highlighting the College’s new strategic plan, DEI courses added to the curriculum, and the work of the “Antiracism Transformation Team.”
The team is tasked with taking charge of antiracist strategies, including “equitable redistribution of institutional power, establishing clear accountability protocols, recommending financial priorities, and equitable support of various constituents across the college,” according to its description page.
Kim also acknowledged “numerous conversations and actions” between departments that have brought “considerations about equity and justice further into the fabric of campus life.”
This is not the first time that Campus Reform has reported on university efforts to hire DEI consultants. Campus Reform recently reported that University of California at Berkeley has employed a “diversity instructional support consultant” named “Dr. queen jaks” since last year.
Campus Reform reached out to Spears and the school for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
