Above: Angela Spranger
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President Trible today announced the appointment of Dr. Angela Spranger as assistant to the president for equity and engagement and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. The text of his email to campus appears below.
Additionally, for the first time, the university will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Over the past month, I have had the opportunity to communicate with hundreds of students, faculty, staff and alumni, meet virtually with the Executive Committee of the Multicultural Alumni Chapter, march with hundreds on our campus and read and reflect. I believe this can be a defining moment for our campus and country and we must all work to create a freer and fairer America.
Accordingly, effective August 1, 2020, Dr. Angela Spranger will become Assistant to the President for Equity and Engagement and will become Christopher Newport’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Dr. Spranger will be responsible for working with students, faculty, staff and alumni to ensure that all members of our university community “feel seen, safe and valued.”
Dr. Spranger and I will pursue these and other matters:
- Fully engage the University community in launching the Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion recently approved by the Council on Diversity and Inclusion. The Council is composed of students, alumni, faculty, administrators, board members, community leaders and friends of the University, and chaired by Sheriff Gabe Morgan, a member of the Board of Visitors.
- Plan and implement a series of community conversations about the Black experience, racism and the systemic injustice in housing, education, healthcare, jobs and other institutions.
- Plan and implement a training program on racism and the importance of diversity and inclusion and equity that will be required for all students, faculty and staff.
- Work with the Provost, Deans and faculty to develop curricular and co-curricular opportunities for our students to understand racial inequity and how to effect change as they lead, serve and engage in our society.
- Work to recruit, engage and retain faculty, staff and students of color at Christopher Newport.
- Facilitate ongoing and regular dialogues about policing and individual rights.
- Plan and hold meaningful programming to consider the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and how we can carry on his important work. For the first time, the University will be closed on Monday, January 18, 2021 to honor Dr. King.
Dr. Spranger has been a respected member of our faculty for eight years and serves as an Assistant Professor of Management in the Luter School of Business, a faculty core advisor and advisor to the student chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management. Dr. Spranger has mentored and coached dozens of students through academic internships and research apprenticeships.
Dr. Spranger holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Regent University, Master of Arts in Education in Human and Organizational Learning from George Washington University, Master of Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Duke University.
Dr. Spranger is proudest of her leadership of the Collegiate Women’s Network, an inclusive community for women at CNU dedicated to generating an atmosphere of intergenerational, interdisciplinary, and intercultural diversity and empowerment.
Dr. Spranger has published several articles and book chapters, supervised multiple student research projects and award-winning student research presentations, and produced a book on organizational commitment and antisocial workplace behavior entitled Why People Stay: Helping Your Employees Feel Seen, Safe, and Valued.
Her research has focused on women’s leadership development, affinity groups as a change initiative for inclusion, the impact of social media movements on human resource management policy in organizations, and the concepts of employee engagement and effective followership.
Dr. Spranger has given dozens of conference presentations and professional association workshops on team development, leadership, and what she has termed “The 5 C’s of Organizational Behavior” - Communication, Collaboration, Culture, Change, and Conflict. Most recently, her consulting workshops have focused on the equity, inclusion, and engagement aspects of organizational culture.
I am very grateful to Dr. Spranger for taking on this important task and look forward to all we will accomplish with your help.