Dr. Lawrence A. Q. Burnley was appointed University of Dayton's inaugural vice president for diversity and inclusion on July 1, 2016. Dr. Burnley has led cultural immersion trips throughout the world, and has facilitated numerous seminars and workshops with senior administrators, faculty, staff, and students in the areas of a biblically based understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion inter/cross-cultural dialogue, and critical reflection on doing ministry in domestic and global contexts. Dr. Burnley was ordained as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), in June of 1990 at Fifth Christian Church in Cleveland, Ohio. His first book, The Cost of Unity: African American Agency and Education, in the Christian Church., 1865-1914, is published by Mercer University Press (2008). He is also a contributing author in The Stone-Campbell Movement: A Global History (January 2013). A Cleveland native, Dr. Burnley holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history of American education with a minor in multicultural issues in education from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He also holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in African American Studies with a concentration in history from the University of Cincinnati. He specializes in drawing intellectual and theological perspectives together to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion strategies both on and off the college campus.