Maurice Gipson Joins A-State Staff As Diversity Officer
JONESBORO —Maurice D. Gipson, the special assistant to the vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas, has accepted the position of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Diversity at Arkansas State University. Gipson officially assumes his duties at Arkansas State February 1, 2015.
“We are pleased that Maurice accepted our offer to lead the diversity and inclusion program at A-State. Our nationwide search resulted in an exceptionally strong candidate pool. To attract someone of Maurice’s caliber reflects well on our students, faculty and staff and the committee that led the search effort. Arkansas State is a thriving institution and the search process has reaffirmed that high quality individuals want to be a part of A-State,” said Dr. Len Frey, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration.
“I am truly excited to join the team at a world class institution like Arkansas State University. The faculty, staff and students are dedicated to diversity and I look forward to working with the greater Jonesboro community to achieve the university’s diversity and inclusion goals,” said Gipson.
Gipson earned his Juris Doctor degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge in 2010 and his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in English, History, African and African American Studies. He will receive his Master of Arts degree from Missouri State University in August 2016.
Gipson comes to A-State after spending two years at UT-Austin where he managed and coordinated the vice president’s strategic minority mentoring initiatives as a member of the senior staff. He also served as the supervisor and coordinator of work for assigned personnel and assisted with the creation and delivery of training for program staff.
The native of Ferriday, La., also oversaw several strategic initiatives and community projects and evaluated the effectiveness of unit planning and strategy outcomes.
Prior to joining UT-Austin, Gipson served in various development and fundraising capacities at Wiley College and Huston-Tillotson University. He served as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Southwestern Region, Executive Director from 2008-2011.
While serving as the Diversity Student Coordinator at LSU from 2001-06, Gipson developed the university’s student diversity plan and provided training on diversity issues to students, staff, and faculty. He also created and maintained a database of over 5,000 minority students and provided statistical analysis trends to the administration.
He has made numerous presentations pertaining to diversity issues, including “Diversity Dilemmas on a College Campus,” “The New Diversity,” “Bridging the Educational Gap Between the Races,” and “Leadership Begins with You.”
