Office of Compliance Diversity and Ethics

Mason’s compliance office gets interim Title IX coordinator and new name

Colleen Rich — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 12:40:21 +0000

Mason’s compliance office gets interim Title IX coordinator and new name Colleen Rich Thu, 08/19/2021 - 08:40

Crystal Coombes

As ��ӽ紫ý strives to be a national leader in anti-racism and inclusive excellence, a few changes in line with that goal have been implemented for the fall semester.

Formerly known as the Office of Compliance, Diversity and Ethics, CDE has changed its name to the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to better reflect the university’s vision.

Crystal C. Coombes, recently hired as Mason’s American with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator, is now serving as interim Title IX coordinator. Both positions are based in the DEI office.

Coombes replaces Title IX coordinator Angela Nastase, who left Mason this month to take a position at the University of Maryland.

Coombes brings extensive experience in ADA and Title IX positions, most recently at Virginia Commonwealth University and at the University of South Florida. As interim Title IX coordinator at Mason, she will lead the university’s commitment to provide a learning and working environment free of sexual discrimination, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment.

Coombes served as ADA coordinator and in related capacities at VCU from June 2018 until her arrival at Mason. Prior to that, she served for three years as director of Title IX/ADA in the University of South Florida system. She was responsible for Title IX vision, leadership and compliance efforts for 52,000 students and 18,000 employees.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Crystal’s vast experience to step into this role while we embark on a national search for a permanent Title IX coordinator,” said Dietra Trent, interim vice president for DEI. “Mason is committed to establishing and maintaining a culture of integrity and shared responsibility that holds each of us to the highest standard, and Crystal will lead these efforts.”

Coombes earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from VCU in 1983, a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia in 1987, and a master’s in English from National University in 2011.

As announced last month, Sharnnia Artis steps into the DEI vice president and chief diversity officer role Sept. 1. She currently is assistant dean of access and inclusion in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and Samueli School of Engineering, both at the University of California, Irvine.

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Sharnnia Artis Joins ��ӽ紫ý as Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Melanie Balog — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:58:19 +0000

Sharnnia Artis Joins ��ӽ紫ý as Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Melanie Balog Mon, 07/19/2021 - 12:58

��ӽ紫ý is pleased to announce that Dr. Sharnnia Artis has been named Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, effective September 1.

Artis currently serves as Assistant Dean of Access and Inclusion in the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine, one of the most diverse engineering programs in the nation.

Artis has been creating programs to improve diversity and inclusion in the engineering and computing fields for most of her career.

“Dr. Artis will be a leader in our mission to grow and strengthen a culture of inclusion, integrity and fairness so that every member of our diverse academic community has the opportunity to thrive,” ��ӽ紫ý President Gregory Washington said. “Her ability to find solutions that lead to successful outcomes will ensure that our university practices and policies align with our ideals.”

At UC Irvine, she established and has served as Founding Director of the Stacey Nicholas Office of Access and Inclusion, a centralized unit created to lead and facilitate diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism initiatives for students, faculty, staff, and community. Artis has created student success programming for the schools’ more than 6,000 students and prospective students from underrepresented groups, and outreach programming for students at California’s community colleges.

“It is quite an honor to be selected for this position to build on Mason’s success as the top-ranked public university in Virginia for ethnic diversity,” said Artis. “I believe in Mason’s vision to become a national exemplar of anti-racism and inclusive excellence in action, and I am committed to being a tireless champion working with our students, faculty, staff, alumni, partners, and community. Together, we will transform lives by leading through inclusive excellence.”

Prior to joining UC Irvine in 2014, Artis served as Education and Outreach Director for the Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science, a Science and Technology Center funded by the National Science Foundation at the University of California, Berkeley. In this role, she designed and implemented recruitment, retention, and educational programs and events to broaden participation and access to underrepresented groups at the pre-college, undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and faculty levels.

As a researcher, Artis has worked to establish research- and evidence-based practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion. For the past four years, she has served as the principal investigator of The Niela Project, funded by the National Science Foundation and aimed to increase the understanding of Black female doctoral experiences and how these experiences have an impact on their academic persistence and overall well-being in the computing and engineering fields.

Artis received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in industrial and systems engineering from Virginia Tech. While attending Virginia Tech, she also worked at the university’s Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity, where she advised engineering students and designed a living and learning program for second-year undergraduate women in engineering.

She succeeds Julian Williams, who left Mason to become Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of South Carolina. Dietra Y. Trent, former Mason chief of staff and Virginia secretary of education, has served with distinction in an interim position since Williams’ departure.

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President Washington announces membership to the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force

John Hollis — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:00:00 +0000

President Washington announces membership to the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force John Hollis Thu, 09/03/2020 - 05:00

Forbes Top Colleges, 2019

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 19:30:02 +0000

Forbes Top Colleges, 2019 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/25/2019 - 15:30

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Washington Monthly 2019 College Rankings

Anonymous — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 20:06:09 +0000

Washington Monthly 2019 College Rankings Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/24/2019 - 16:06

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Toombs joins Mason in dual role as director of Mid-Atlantic HERC and diversity outreach

Melanie Balog — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 10:00:32 +0000

Toombs joins Mason in dual role as director of Mid-Atlantic HERC and diversity outreach Melanie Balog Thu, 02/07/2019 - 05:00

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Office of Compliance Diversity and Ethics

Mason’s compliance office gets interim Title IX coordinator and new name

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Sharnnia Artis Joins ���ӽ紫ý as Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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President Washington announces membership to the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force

Forbes Top Colleges, 2019

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Washington Monthly 2019 College Rankings

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Toombs joins Mason in dual role as director of Mid-Atlantic HERC and diversity outreach

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Sharnnia Artis Joins ��ӽ紫ý as Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion