OU Announces Appointment of Institutional Equity Officer

NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma announced today the appointment of Shaniqua Crawford as the university’s institutional equity officer, equal opportunity officer and Title IX coordinator, pending OU Board of Regents’ approval.

Crawford comes to OU from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where she serves as Title IX coordinator and as director of equity.

She will join OU’s Institutional Equity Office on Dec. 1, assuming a role responsible for overseeing the university’s affirmative action and equal opportunity compliance efforts, as well as investigating complaints of sexual misconduct, discrimination and harassment.

A national search for the position was conducted by a search committee and by other OU community members – made up of students, faculty, staff and administrators from all three OU campuses.

“At OU, our commitment to becoming a place of belonging for all strikes at the core of who we are,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Central to our pursuit of this goal is our promise to foster a safe environment where all members of the OU family can thrive and feel respected. Throughout her career, Shaniqua Crawford has demonstrated a strong understanding of how important this is on a college campus. She is an accomplished leader in higher education who approaches her role with professionalism, diligence and collaboration. We look forward to working alongside her to build lasting change here at OU.”

At Lawrence, Crawford leads the institution’s Title IX compliance efforts, developing partnerships across the university to position the office as a resource for all members of the campus community. Her work to establish trust in the Title IX Office was supported by her efforts to reinvigorate campus-wide participation in initiatives related to Title IX and diversity and inclusion.

In her career, Crawford also has helped implement diversity and inclusion strategies in recruitment and retention, strategic planning and accountability, and training and programming. While serving as assistant director of equity and inclusion at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, she developed affirmative action representative training for faculty and staff employment searches. At UW Oshkosh, Crawford also served as deputy Title IX coordinator, initiating interactive equity training for staff and faculty.

Crawford earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy from Georgia Southern University. She also attended Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law, earning a Juris Doctorate.