Published on July 22, 2024

Updated on July 25, 2024

Dear campus community,

Dr. Maurice Gipson, Vice Chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, has announced he will be leaving Mizzou on August 15, 2024, to serve as the Interim President at Philander Smith University. I’m thankful for Dr. Gipson’s leadership and accomplishments since joining the university in 2020. He has provided valuable counsel and led a team that has made many important contributions to student, faculty and staff success.

Dr. Gipson and I have had frequent discussions about the need for a sustainable path forward given the growing developments affecting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the nation. He and I will meet with faculty, student, staff and alumni stakeholders to discuss these developments and the organizational changes that are needed to ensure continued success of our students, faculty and staff. I’ll share more details in the coming weeks.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Gipson on his new role and thanking him for his years of dedicated and distinguished service to Mizzou.

Sincerely,

Mun Y. Choi, Ph.D.

President, University of Missouri