The IFO is proud to announce the appointment of Shannon Miller, Ajay Panicker and Kim Park Nelson to the MinnState Equity and Inclusion Council. Miller and Panicker will serve as full members and Park Nelson will serve as an alternate. We were encouraged by the numerous applications from highly qualified candidates seeking to serve as a faculty voice on these important issues. The large and diverse candidate pool reinforced the importance of the IFO’s commitment to equity and inclusion initiatives.

MinnState recently established the Equity and Inclusion Council as a system-wide committee of students, faculty and staff who are responsible for advising the Chief Diversity Officer on strategies, initiatives, programs, and policies that are planned, piloted, adopted, and/or implemented related to matters of equity, inclusion, and diversity.

The IFO Appointees are:

Shannon Miller is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Gender and Women's Studies program at MSU Mankato. She is a former Chair of the IFO LGBTQ+ Issues Committee. Prof. Miller will serve a three-year term.

Ajay Panicker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at St. Cloud State University. He is a member of the IFO Multicultural Issues Committee and member of the leadership team for the state-wide IFO Faculty of Color Caucus. Prof. Panicker will serve a two-year term.

Kim Park Nelson is an Associate Professor of the American Multicultural Studies program at MSU Moorhead. She is Chair of the IFO Multicultural Issues Committee and member of the leadership team for the state-wide IFO Faculty of Color Caucus. Prof. Park Nelson will serve a three-year term as an alternate.

The IFO believes the newly established Council will be an important forum for stakeholders within the system to advance the important work of equity and inclusion on our campuses. Please watch for additional updates throughout the year once the Council begins to meet.