USF diversity administrator resigns after hotly rebuking Currall

Pictured Above: Cecil E. Howard (left), who departs today, calls the way that changes in his office’s responsibilities were handled “one of the most disrespectful, thoughtless, offensive, and racist acts” in university history. But President Steve Currall says the changes will “streamline the processes” for ensuring that USF complies with requirements on equal employment, Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Image courtesy of USF


By Nancy McCann

The university’s associate vice president for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity has resigned in protest of what he calls “one of the most disrespectful, thoughtless, offensive, and racist acts to have ever been carried out at the USF campus.”

In an April 12 email to a USF administrator, Cecil E. Howard called President Steve Currall’s decision to reconfigure the responsibilities of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (DIEO) a “racially biased move.”

Howard wrote that he had begun to plan his departure – effective today – because he could not “remain in silent acquiescence and give credence to further racist actions.” (See Howard’s April 12 email below.)

The university strongly denied Howard’s accusations.  

The changes at DIEO, which Currall announced March 12, are part of the university’s efforts to “reimagine and reinvest” in the office to “improve service to students, faculty, staff and the broader community,” administrators said today.

“Mr. Howard’s assertion that the new strategic direction for DIEO is racially motivated is false,” said university spokesperson Adam Freeman.

Before he decided to resign, Howard filed two charges of discrimination with the Florida Commission on Human Relations, Freeman said. The first was dismissed and the second is pending.

“USF cannot discuss a pending investigation other than to say that the claims appear meritless,” Freeman said. (See Freeman’s full statement below.)

Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, the university’s interim vice president for institutional equity, said USF is taking “unprecedented steps to reimagine and reinvest” in DIEO as it works to strengthen “our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts – an intentional and renewed effort over the past year.”

In recent months, Hordge-Freeman said in a statement, the university has taken “several significant steps” as it undertakes a “comprehensive review” of DIEO.

It has hosted town halls, conducted an online survey, met with key community organizations like the NAACP and toured diverse neighborhoods in local communities, she said. (See Hordge-Freeman’s full statement below.)

Howard, who did not respond to requests for comment from The Crow’s Nest, does not precisely spell out what Currall did to offend him and 10 other “highly credentialed, professional employees” in DIEO.

But he pointed to March 12, the day Currall announced that some of DIEO’s responsibilities were being shifted to “a new Equity Compliance unit within the USF Office of Compliance and Ethics.”

Moving compliance on equal employment, Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act will “streamline the processes for these essential university functions” and better serve students, faculty and staff, Currall said. (See Currall’s full statement below.)  

But Howard, a lawyer and veteran diversity administrator who came to USF in 2016, said he and others “were subjected to what I perceived as one of the most disrespectful, thoughtless, offensive, and racist acts to have ever been carried out at the USF campus.”

In his email to Hordge-Freeman on April 12, Howard said reorganization is “just the beginning of a concerted dismantilization of DIEO and its voices. If that is the case, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities at USF are in for a rough ride.”

Howard listed 25 “major initiatives” that DIEO had planned for 2021-2022 and said he was “extremely doubtful that these initiatives could be adequately carried out with what is now a skeleton crew and may become even thinner in the near future.”

Some DIEO staff members have been transferred to the Office of Compliance and Ethics, Freeman said.

Howard’s departure and blistering criticism come at an awkward juncture for the Currall administration.

In June 2020, shortly after the death of George Floyd prompted a national resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement, 88 Black faculty and staff members at USF sent a call to action to Currall. 

In their letter, they said that “targeted anti-racist policies, procedures and an adequate grievance process must be established (or improved) to effectively address systemic racism.”

They called for mandatory sensitivity training for administrators, increased racial and ethnic diversity in both leadership and faculty positions, the creation of racial accountability protocols in the faculty tenure and promotion process, an evaluation of salary disparities and increased funding in Africana and Latin American studies.

In a statement that same week, Currall and Haywood Brown, who was then USF’s vice president for institutional equity, said USF would “redouble efforts to be a force of positive change.”

Those efforts will include professional development of faculty and staff and “helping to ensure that hiring practices for administrators and faculty are free from bias and reflect USF’s commitment to diversity,” the statement said. 

Two months later, Currall issued a detailed update on steps the university is taking.

Those steps include the investment of $500,000 in research projects that address the concept, origin and consequences of systemic racism, an increase in Black student outreach and strengthening relationships between USF and the Black community.

Currall also announced that Brown had been appointed to the university’s 11-member Executive Leadership Council and that Hordge-Freeman – a sociology professor who drafted the June letter signed by Black faculty and staff – had been appointed senior adviser to Currall and the provost on diversity and inclusion.

When Brown left DIEO in March for a post in USF Health, Hordge-Freeman was named to replace him as interim vice president for institutional equity. In September, Currall’s efforts on diversity and inclusion were jolted when all six members of a diversity committee at the College of Arts and Sciences resigned in a ringing rebuke of the administration.

The diversity committee “is disappointed that the voice representing the largest college in the university is being silenced, ignored or ‘mediated,’” the members said.

“Our effort to engage with the USF administration at multiple levels has ultimately led to a reassertion of an academic hierarchy that reinforces, rather than reduces, the ‘hush culture’ at USF,” the letter said. 

Meanwhile, The Crow’s Nest has reported in recent months that the number of Black and Hispanic faculty and administrators has remained essentially unchanged for years.    


Below is President Steve Currall’s March 12 announcement of the changes that prompted Cecil E. Howard, the associate vice president for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity, to resign:

Dear USF faculty, staff and students,

I am pleased to announce today that Dr. Haywood Brown, who has served as USF’s Vice President for Institutional Equity in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (DIEO), has accepted a new role within USF Health as Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs for USF Health and the Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs for the Morsani College of Medicine, effective April 2. I would like to thank Haywood for his many valuable contributions to USF’s DIEO efforts over the past several years and congratulate him on this important new appointment. 

In accordance with our commitment to further strengthening our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts — an intentional and renewed commitment over the past year — the University of South Florida is taking unprecedented steps to reimagine DIEO as we search for its permanent leader. I am grateful that Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Senior Advisor to the President and Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, has agreed to serve as Interim Vice President for Institutional Equity. We will conduct a full national search for a permanent vice president, who will be a member of the President’s Executive Leadership Team, during the summer. Once a permanent vice president is selected, Dr. Hordge-Freeman will transition into a role that will allow her to integrate her expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion into broader initiatives across the university.

To facilitate this transformation, we are investing new resources to help us assess current capabilities, strengthen the organizational structure and envision the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at USF. In advance of the vice president search, Dr. Hordge-Freeman will lead a process with both our on-campus leaders and staff, as well as community stakeholders, to help define the role, responsibilities and goals. Additionally, we will engage outside consulting resources to help facilitate a comprehensive review and design for this new department and ensure we are following best practices nationally. 

As part of our commitment to best practices, we are redirecting the compliance functions that have historically been held within the DIEO office to a new Equity Compliance unit within the USF Office of Compliance and Ethics. This unification of the compliance functions will provide a better, more seamless experience for our students, faculty and staff; help us maintain our commitment to equity at our institution by focusing and resourcing equal employment, Title IX and Disability/ADA compliance; and streamline the processes for these essential university functions. 

These organizational changes will give us a greater ability to focus on proactive diversity, equity and inclusion outreach initiatives university wide. The diversity, equity and inclusion function of USF’s future will drive culture-change initiatives, programming, training and resources to help USF build on its thought leadership in this vital area. It will give students, faculty and staff the support they need to take full advantage of USF resources, build an even greater sense of community and equip them for future success.  

I have full confidence that this change will usher in a positive era for USF, grounded in our Principles of Community and strengthened by our enduring commitment to diversity, equity, access, anti-racism and cultural inclusivity. 


Below is the April 12 email that Howard sent to Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, the interim vice president for institutional equity:   

Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you for meeting with the remaining members of the Office of DIEO. As you know, those members are myself, a 35-year lawyer with 20-plus years of diversity, equity and inclusion executive experience who led the office during a tumultuous period of 9 months, while simultaneously leading the Office of Diversity at USF St. Petersburg when my predecessor abruptly left the University; Patsy Sanchez, a 24-year USF employee who has led all of DIEO’s diversity initiatives for many years, single-handedly been the voice of the Hispanic Community and its relationship to USF for decades, especially in bringing major Hispanic donors to USF, and has robustly represented the University on numerous community boards; Dr. Michelle Madden, the Diversity Officer for USF St. Petersburg who has also simultaneously carried out the Director of Institutional Effectiveness role, and has substantial experience in the Atlanta, Georgia public school system, and Corey Posey, who is very close to earning his doctorate degree, and has substantial multicultural affairs and experience, and has been a stalwart in bringing USF to the table with many community organizations while carrying out his community engagement functions. 

I provided a brief background on each employee because I believe it is important for you to know that information, and I am not sure it has been provided to you heretofore. I also provided the information about each of the remaining DIEO staff members, because On March 12, 2021, we four highly credentialed and experienced professionals, along with seven other former highly credentialed, professional DIEO employees were subjected to what I perceived as one of the most disrespectful, thoughtless, offensive, and racist acts to have ever been carried out at the USF campus.

The actions on that day impacted me in such a way that I do not think I in good conscience can ever hold USF in high regard as I had done previously. It was in direct contravention of the Principles of Community that have been so widely espoused by the University. As such, I have begun to implement my exit strategy from the University of South Florida.  While such a strategy is not deemed advisable, I do not feel I can remain in silent acquiescence and give credence to further racist actions. Many employees of color throughout the University, as well as older employees, feel the same and have begun implementing their own exit strategies. 

Based on my meetings and conversations with you on March 12, 2021, April 1, 2021, and April 2, 2021, you adamantly apologized on behalf of the university and stated to me that you advised the President against taking such action, but he persisted, nonetheless. Thank you for your concerns regarding optics and perceptions.

It really concerns me, however, that the President would move in such a racially biased manner against the advice of his Senior Advisor. You were as disrespected as the rest of us. That is very concerning.  I frankly see the President’s action as just the beginning of a concerted dismantilization of DIEO and its voices. If that is the case, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities at USF are in for a rough ride, of which I want no parts of!    

So, as you embark upon the “opportunity for our remaining office to focus more on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and work more proactively to establish outreach initiatives both university and community wide,” please find below, the major initiatives that DIEO had planned for the 2021-2022 academic year. Most are a continuation of what we did in 2020-2021. I am extremely doubtful that the initiatives could be adequately carried out with what is now a skeleton crew and may become even thinner in the very near future.  I suspect many of the initiatives will eventually fall off and become remnants of a once vibrant aspect of the University. They are: 

1.      Florida Equity Report 

2.      Dismantling Racism 

3.      Latino Scholarship Program events (3) 

4.    Latino Scholarship student support through DIEO 

5.    Latino Scholarship donor relations through DIEO 

6.    Latino community engagement through DIEO 

7.    Latino media outreach  

8.    Presidential Advisory Committees (Six) 

9.      African American Advisory Committee  

10.   Latino Community Advisory Committee  

11.   National Model of Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion 

12.   Inclusive Excellence Luncheon & Program 

13.   Principles of Community Affirmation Team (co-chair) 

14.   Search Committee Training 

15.   Faculty Diversity Training 

16.   Target of Opportunity Hires 

17.   Educational programing through HR (Implicit Bias, Latino, Respect, Disability, Generational) 

18.  Educational programing tailored for units/departments 

19.   Diversity Lecture Series 

20.   Participation of community boards such as Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Committee, Hope Villages of America, NAACP, Saturday Morning Breakfast Club, etc. 

21.   The University’s “go-to” office for anything black or Hispanic 

22. ADA Johnson Scholarship program events oversight 

23.  ADA Johnson Scholarship awards oversight 

24.  ADA Johnson Scholarship student support  

25.  Participation on State level boards and national networks  

These initiatives and programs exist to advance USF’s diversity, equity, and inclusion footprint, and to ensure that all students, faculty, and staff feel safe, respected, and welcomed into any space affiliated with the University. DIEO has been unapologetic in its efforts to promote this work.  Unfortunately, however, no one from the restructuring team met with staff and engaged them in conversations about the work beforehand.

There may have been perceptions, but apparently, no one conducted the research as would be expected. In fact, a senior administrator recently stated to a DIEO employee that “the only thing DIEO does is the Equity Report.” A casual review of the latest DIEO Annual Report which was widely distributed could have easily educated that leader, but if that leader had already formed a biased opinion about the make-up of DIEO personnel and the work DIEO does, there is not much DIEO could have done to change those perceptions. We believe that to have been the case campus-wide by USF leadership as evidenced by the President’s statement, “These organizational changes will give us a greater ability to focus on proactive diversity, equity and inclusion outreach initiatives university wide.” 

Thanks for providing me the space to voice what many present and former DIEO staff members believe. Unfortunately, they (and I) believe the mere voicing of contrary opinions at USF will result in severe reprisals. I pray that is not the case with my submittal of this email, though it is entirely likely. 

Thanks, 

Cecil 


Below is a “Dear Colleagues” email that Howard sent on Thursday:

By now, many of you may have heard that I am planning to leave the University of South Florida (USF). Yes, it is true. July 9, 2021 will be my last day as an employee at USF and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion & Equal Opportunity (DIEO). I have had a great and incredibly productive career as Associate Vice President for Diversity, Inclusion & Equal Opportunity, and Chief Diversity Officer, but all good things must come to an end.

The decision to leave was one of the easiest, and at the same time, one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make regarding my career. It was easy because in life there are some things that are deal breakers. I encountered a deal breaker.  It was difficult because I am leaving many great and wonderful people behind. In the end, however, I had to make a decision that resonated most with my personal desire to be valued and treated with dignity and respect.  

I will leave you with these thoughts: (1) work hard in order to achieve the positions you desire in life; (2) never step on anyone to achieve your own goals; (3) never sacrifice your own self-worth for anyone; and (4) as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” 

So long colleagues! 


Below is today’s statement from university spokesperson Adam Freeman:

Prior to Cecil Howard’s decision to resign, he submitted two charges of discrimination with the Florida Commission of Human Relations, the first of which has already been dismissed. The second is pending.  USF cannot discuss a pending investigation other than to say that the claims appear meritless.

On March 12, 2021, the university announced that Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman would serve as interim vice president for institutional equity.  At the same time, it was also announced that the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (DIEO) would be reimagined as a way to reinforce USF’s commitment to our institutional values of diversity and inclusion, and to improve service to students, faculty, staff and the broader community.  Mr. Howard’s assertion that the new strategic direction for DIEO is racially motivated is false. 


Below is the statement from Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, the university’s interim vice president for institutional equity:

In accordance with the University of South Florida’s commitment to strengthening our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts – an intentional and renewed effort over the past year – USF is taking unprecedented steps to reimagine and reinvest in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (DIEO). This is reaffirmed in USF’s new 10-year Strategic Renewal plan, which identifies Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as an institutional core commitment. 

USF has taken several significant steps in this regard, just in the last few months: 

  • In March, following the departure of the previous vice president for institutional equity in DIEO, USF announced that it would undertake a comprehensive review of the office in order to develop a national model. The future diversity office will drive culture-change initiatives, programming and resources – as well as give students, faculty and staff the support they need and build an even greater sense of community. Meanwhile, USF announced the decision to unify all compliance functions across the university within the USF Office of Compliance and Ethics in order to provide a more seamless experience for students, faculty and staff who need to utilize this vital resource. 
  • Since that time, USF has hosted a series of town halls and an online survey in order to give stakeholders ample opportunities to provide input that will help university leadership reshape the DIEO office and the vice president of institutional equity position in a way that best serves the community.  
  • We have also held individual meetings with Presidential Advisory Councils and key community organizations, including the NAACP and City of Tampa Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council. 
  • President Currall has embarked on a tour of local communities to include diverse neighborhoods such as Ybor City and West Tampa.  

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7 thoughts on “USF diversity administrator resigns after hotly rebuking Currall

  1. It is difficult to sort through the verbiage of a promised improvement of equality among students when it is made through the eradication of ongoing programs and personnel of the DIEO. Is this a knee jerk reaction to the call of Black Lives Matters? Is all this reorganization necessary, or a reaction to this time in history; when words are not enough and action must follow?
    Nancy McCann presents the issues well. I want to know more.

    1. For someone who touts his legal career and experience in higher education, his letter is rife with grammatical errors.

  2. There are years of racial injustice at USF that has been ignored until the BLM and George Floyd’s death awakened black and brown people to stand up to protest against racial injustice and scare USF into make the statements they made towards “equality for all”. However, these efforts are in appearance only. Like C. Howard indicated, the same efforts they performed in DIEO in the past are the same efforts that were put in place for the future so what are they doing for equity? A facade. I am a Hispanic 25+ year veteran of USF who was terminated for speaking up for myself and my predominantly black staff that was not paid equally to white staff in the same office, in the same classification but had less work and less staff to supervise than I was give. I was also eliminated from a search for a promotion when I was the most qualified staff while they moved a much less qualified white staff with less than five years and a lot less education into the second round of interviews. All males moved forward. No females but once I filled a grievance they closed the search and changed all of the dispositions to “rejected” so I didn’t have a claim. USF is doing nothing to rectify the diversity issues except make empty promises that they are working on it and any staff that speaks up or files a claim is made miserable or terminated. I will not remain silent!

  3. So there was some type of bachannal going on. I know Currall was not just going to pick up and leave to “support family”. C’mon.

  4. So there was some type of bachannal going on. I know Currall was not just going to pick up and leave to “support family”. C’mon.

  5. Lots of money to be made in fighting Racism. Unfortunutly its hard to find mass out of control or even tiny amounts of confirmed Racism here. Of course you can yell Fire (racism) and people will jump and act immeadiatly, it gets people excited and ready to act! What we have now is an entity that is trying to justify its existence. When its looked at closely and found to be an entity that is basically looking under rocks to find some sort of unfairness, feathers got ruffled and that in itself brings out the theater audience yelling RACIST!

  6. it’s easy to dismiss racial injustice if you’ve NEVER experienced it. As a black USF alumni the fact they legit dismissed their actions is hurtful… It’s unfortunate that in protest someone who could have made a difference in his position was force to resign from it…

    #whereJudyat

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