School of dentistry will pay DEI assistant dean up to $170,000 in Maryland

The University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Dentistry is seeking someone to fulfill its “Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” position, with pay up to $170,000.

Two listed qualifications for the job are “experience in academic dentistry” and a “track record in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies,” according to the job description.

The non-tenure track faculty position is open rank and will receive a salary of $110,000-$170,000 per year, “depending on rank and commensurate with education and experience,” according to the description.

“The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leading strategic initiatives, fostering inclusive environments, and demonstrating a visionary approach to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within an academic or healthcare setting,” the job description stated.

Additionally, the ideal candidate “will be passionate about driving systemic change” as well as “committed to fostering a culture where diversity is celebrated and inclusion is the norm.”

The Center Square reached out to the University of Maryland School of Dentistry’s (UMSOD) Dean Mark Reynolds, chief of staff George David, and assistant director of the office of communications Holly Selby for comment. None responded.

The position was posted on Nov. 8, 2024. Based on USMOD’s EDI staff webpage, it is unclear whether the position has been filled yet.

The position previously was filled by Eleanor Fleming. In 2022, UMSOD released a story on Fleming – the inaugural assistant dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion – who was hired in the fall of 2021.

Fleming stated that she “didn’t really see dentistry engaged in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” and so her inspiration for a change following the death of George Floyd and ensuing riots made the position at UMSOD a good fit for her.

Fleming apparently still fulfills the role of assistant dean for EDI, as observed on her school bio.

The Center Square reached out twice to Fleming for comment, receiving no reply.

UMSOD operates as a place of dental care in addition to being a place of education, according to its webpage.

UMSOD’s DEI page states that the school is “committed to ensuring an environment of inclusion, equity and equality for minority faculty, patients, staff, and students.”

The job description for UMSOD’s assistant dean for equity, diversity, and inclusion also states the person will help “to develop and advance an equity, diversity, and inclusion strategy,” in collaboration with “the Dean, Chief of Staff, administration, faculty, and the broader University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) community.”

When reached twice for comment, University of Maryland media relations specialist Laura Lee did not respond.

While UMSOD is searching to fulfill a DEI position, many other schools are taking steps to diminish DEI, such as the University of Michigan, and some states are banning the ideology altogether, such as Idaho, The Center Square previously reported.