Univ. of Mary Washington admin Leah Cox named TU’s first VP of Inclusion and Institutional Equity

By: Cody Boteler, Editor-in-Chief

Towson University officials announced Tuesday that Leah Cox has been appointed Towson’s first Vice President of Inclusion and Institutional Equity, effective Jan. 23, 2017.

Cox is coming to TU from the University of Mary Washington, where she has worked for six years as Special Assistant to the President, the campus’s Title IX Coordinator and the Campus Ombudsman.

One of Cox’s achievements at Mary Washington was creating a “Diversity Academy,” a workshop for faculty to create diversity in the curriculum.

“I am excited to return to my native Baltimore and to be a part of President Schatzel’s leadership team,” Cox said in a press release. “I look forward to rolling-up my sleeves to collaborate with my colleagues.”

The search for TU’s inaugural vice president for this newly-created office lasted months and, according to officials, drew from a pool of over 50 candidates. Finalists came to campus and met with several different faculty and student groups before ending their day on campus with an open forum.

In the same press release, Schatzel said that Cox’s leadership “will have great impact” as the University pursues its goal of advancing TU as a diverse and inclusive campus.

According to the initial timeline for the candidate search, TU officials planned to name the new vice president in early January. The search committee worked with a national search firm during the candidate search.

Cox was not immediately available for comment, and The University of Mary Washington is closed for the holiday from Dec. 19-Jan 3.