West Liberty University named an interim Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) leader on Jan. 31, 2022, Dr. Monique L. Akassi. Her full title is Special Assistant, DEI and Strategic Initiatives, and she is a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Akassi replaces Shemrico Stanley who resigned recently.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she most recently resided in Fredericksburg, Va. and worked at Howard University, located in Washington, DC as a full-time faculty member; in addition, she serves as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University in Washington DC.
Akassi has more than a decade of experience as an administrator, researcher and educator and has served as a higher education consultant.
She completed postdoctoral studies, earning certificates in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University; management and development and women in higher education leadership from Harvard University; a doctoral degree in English composition and rhetoric with minors in literary criticism theory and African American literature from Morgan State University; a master’s in English composition and rhetoric from Wright State University; and a bachelor’s in English and comparative literature from the University of Cincinnati.
She has held executive administration positions at various institutions of higher education as assistant to the president, associate provost, director, full professor tenured, and department chair.
She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founder and president of Africana Critical Composition and Rhetoric Association, and worked collaboratively on a grant that was awarded $100,000 in funding to build an Honors College at Edward Waters College (Jacksonville, Fla.), its program and curriculum.
“I am pleased to join West Liberty University and look forward to learning more about the culture here and how we can work together to support the university’s mission as we focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and employees to create a more inclusive campus and student experience,” Akassi said.
“I want to be known as a bridge builder among students, faculty, staff, alumni, the Board of Trustees and the global community. Where others may believe it is impossible to transform and build, I believe it can be done.”
Climbing up the traditional academic affairs rank from adjunct instructor, lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, to full professor tenured—she has authored and/or edited over 23 publications, including “W.E.B. Du Bois and the Africana Rhetoric of Dealienation,” “Postcolonial Composition Pedagogy: Using The Culture of Marginalized Students To Teach Writing,” “Research and Writing Across The Curriculum,” Virginia Union University’s “Journal on Undergraduate Research In The Humanities and Beyond,” and Bowie State University’s “Journal on Undergraduate Research Across The Disciplines.”
Akassi is married to Dr. Clement A. Akassi, an associate professor at Howard University; and they have a son, Amare.
West Liberty University is West Virginia’s oldest public university and it offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs, both online and on campus. For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB), visit westliberty.edu or follow WLU on social media. To view more about WLU, please visit westliberty.edu/youtube.
