Former MU player and coach appointed to diversity post

A former University of Missouri football player and strength coach has been appointed the school’s No. 2 official for inclusion, diversity and equity, the Columbia campus announced Tuesday.

The new assistant vice chancellor, Pat Ivey, will report to Chuck Henson, interim vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity, who took that post when it was created in November.

Ivey, who will make $150,000 a year, is expected to help “improve attendance, retention and graduation rates … for students from all backgrounds,” Columbia campus spokesman Christian Basi said in an email.

Ivey will inventory programs MU offers to students, “such as outreach science or career exploration programs,” Basi said, “to motivate them to attend college and, once here, work hard to advance and graduate.”

Ivey also will help Henson “by acting as a liaison with student, faculty and staff organizations as well as with the Missouri legislature,” Basi said.

Ivey played football for MU from 1993 through 1995 and earned undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees from the university. He worked for the athletic department from 2004 until late last year, when MU’s new football coach declined to keep him as associate athletic director for athletic performance.

He also was an organizer of Missouri’s Men 4 Men program, designed to help student athletes learn to make good life decisions. As such, he was an example and confidant for many of the school’s athletes.

The inclusion, diversity and equity posts were created amid student protests over the handling of racial matters on campus. MU system president Tim Wolfe and Columbia campus chancellor R. Bowen Loftin resigned Nov. 9 after the football team voted to not play to support the protests.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Former MU player and coach appointed to diversity post."