GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College is searching for a diversity, equity and inclusion vice president after alleged attempts to suppress a less-than-flattering DEI report prompted the GCC Professional Association — the college’s faculty and staff union — to vote “no confidence” in its provost and president over the summer.

With plans to fill the position by Jan. 1, the college has assembled a search committee, which President Michelle Schutt’s Chief of Staff Carla Oleska said should begin meeting in about one month.

In a meeting with GCC students that took place last week, Schutt said the college has received around 30 applications for the position, which will operate out of Schutt’s office and pays an annual salary of $120,000 to $130,000. The person hired will be tasked with leading “efforts to assess the climate for diversity, equity and inclusion on campus” and working collaboratively with college staff to promote “positive change,” according to the job posting.

“We have engaged a national search firm to identify candidates, and their work is informed by interviews with the campus community and a survey,” Schutt wrote in a statement published in response to the union’s vote this summer. “The vice president will lead our DEI initiatives, helping us develop a strategy and priorities, and identifying needed resources to support this work. At the same time, we all continue to bear responsibility for creating an equitable and inclusive environment.”

The decision to hire a DEI vice president was first published in Schutt’s written response to the allegations that the college suppressed the negative results of a private DEI study conducted from April to November 2023 by the Connecticut-based racial equity consultant RE-Center Race & Equity in Education.

With input from college staff, Schutt hired RE-Center to study the campus and its culture and recommend possible improvements toward advancing racial equity and diversity.

The 45-page RE-Center report states that the college’s DEI efforts are largely “performative,” “superficial” and often tokenize minority community members. It also states that “racialized harm is allowed to continue without being addressed,” citing a number of incidents between RE-Center canvassers and members of the president’s cabinet that included use of the N-word.

The report also cites use of the N-word in a play that the theater department put on, followed by “subsequent use of the word by white people during the audience talkback.”

According to GCC Professional Association President Trevor Kearns, the canvassers “disappeared” from campus in November 2023, as GCC ended its contract with the RE-Center before the consultant was finished with its work.

Kearns alleged Schutt did not disclose the consultant’s departure until February and kept the results of the RE-Center’s report hidden from GCC’s board of trustees, faculty and staff until it was brought to a trustees meeting in June.

The process to hire a DEI vice president follows GCC’s hiring of two senior staff members — Dean of Students Shelley Nicholson and Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Shanni Smith-Arsenault — earlier this month.

The ideal DEI vice president candidate, according to the job posting, must have a master’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field from an accredited institution; experience leading diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and activities for large or complex organizations; and professional knowledge and experience related to DEI.

“To be successful in this role, the ideal candidate will tackle both opportunities and challenges with creativity and enthusiasm,” the job posting reads. “Leaders who are passionate about DEI and committed to driving systemic change are encouraged to apply for this transformative role and help build a more equitable, just, vibrant and resilient world through education.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.