WILMINGTON — UNC Wilmington announced Tuesday Dr. Donyell Roseboro, its interim chief diversity officer, will continue to serve in the role.
Since July 2020, Roseboro has served in the position while the university conducted a national search and interviewed several candidates. However, Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli recently elected to call off the hiring process and offered the position to Roseboro, “given the comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion work currently in progress and the need for stability in the position,” according to a university press release.
UNCW has launched several initiatives under Roseboro’s leadership, including a bridge program that provides transitional support to college students from underrepresented populations, a fellowships for doctoral candidates looking to join UNCW faculty, and the Diversity and Inclusion Fellows Program, which focuses on partnering and engaging with diverse external organizations.
She also oversaw renovations of Centro Hispano and the Upperman African American Cultural Center and has sat on the Chancellor’s Renewal and Change Accountability Committee, which looks at UNCW’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
“Dr. Roseboro is a proven leader who is dedicated to building, supporting and cultivating an inclusive campus,” Sartarelli said. “Diversity and inclusion are important components of the university’s mission and values. Dr. Roseboro and her team have worked tirelessly to develop strategies that foster a learning environment where all Seahawks belong and thrive.”
A professor in the Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education, Roseboro has helped the Watson College of Education strengthen partnerships with K-12 schools in the southeast. She joined the university in 2007 and helped open D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy in 2018.
In a statement, Roseboro said: “Although I was hopeful that we would be able to identify an external candidate who could lead our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, serving as the interim CDO for the last year and a half has reinforced my love for this university and its people. It has restored my belief in our collective power for good. The commitment I have witnessed from students, staff and faculty inspires me to strengthen this work with intent and purpose. This is an architectural process. I am grateful for the opportunity to build a future grounded in honesty, framed by hope and secured with faith.”
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