Sheila Edwards Lange Selected as Interim Vice President for Minority Affairs and Vice Provost for Diversity

Sheila Edwards Lange has been selected interim vice president for minority affairs at the University of Washington and vice provost for diversity, effective May 15. Lange currently serves as special assistant to the vice president for minority affairs. The appointment was announced by President Mark A. Emmert.

Nancy "Rusty" Barceló, vice president and vice provost at the UW since 2001, has accepted a position as the University of Minnesota's first vice president for access, equity and multicultural affairs and vice provost.

"Over the past five years, the University's efforts to enhance the diversity of its people and programs have been infused with considerable energy and enthusiasm under the leadership of Rusty Barceló," said UW President Mark A. Emmert. "She leaves behind a variety of innovative programs focused on building a more diverse university and nurturing a climate for success on campus for all of our students."

"Sheila Edwards Lange has a wide array of experience in higher education administration," said UW Provost Phyllis Wise. "She has helped develop creative faculty recruitment initiatives and been active in mentoring students, especially in science, engineering and mathematics. We are confident Sheila will provide excellent leadership in the interim for the Office of  Minority Affairs while we initiate and conduct a broad national search for a permanent vice president for minority affairs."

In her current position, Lange has provided leadership for the initiative to assess campus diversity. She also has managed the work of the Diversity Council. She is the recipient of the university’s 2005 Diversity Award for Community Building.

Lange served as associate director of the Center for Workforce Development in the College of Engineering from 2001 to 2005. In this position, she was responsible for the design and implementation of national and local evaluation projects, including the Department of Energy's National Undergraduate Internship Program and the ADVANCE project at the UW. She also has worked closely with numerous women and underrepresented minority students in science, engineering, and mathematics, providing support, community and encouragement. 

From 1998 to 2001, she was research assistant to the President's Advisory Committee on Women. She wrote the original Faculty Recruitment Toolkit, intended to help increase the diversity of the faculty. The toolkit has received national attention and is now being used at many universities.

Lange received a doctorate from the UW in 2006 in educational leadership and policy studies. She received a master's degree in public administration from the Evans School in 2000. Her bachelor's degree in social ecology, received in 1999, is from the University of California, Irvine.

She recently was appointed to the national board of directors of the Women in Engineering and Program Advocates Network. She is a founder of the Institute for Public Service Training and serves on its board of directors. The Institute is a joint project among the UW, Seattle University and the Seattle community, offering training, mentoring and internships to underrepresented minority students interested in careers in public service.