Members of our faculty are actively serving in areas related to DEI.
The statements below were contributed by the individual faculty members and don’t necessarily reflect the views of DAC, but instead reflect the variety of perspectives on DEIJ and service that exist in PBS.
I started serious advocacy for affirmative action starting about 1990, but even before that made efforts to select and train women for research. E.g. two of my women graduate students, from 1980 and 1988 are now in the National Academy of Sciences. I then played a significant role in the major national honorary academies (National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society) getting them to adopt affirmative action for women and other under-represented groups. At IU generally, starting in the 1980s, I have played a large role nominating members for national recognition in the form of prestigious memberships and awards and honors, with a significant focus on women and under-represented academics. After years of advocating that IU presidents form a policy of supporting such measures, with staff assigned to help make this happen, Michael McRobbie finally did this. Within PBS I have been pursuing these initiatives, again starting particularly in the 1990s, and sometime around 2000 (I think) this was formalized when I was appointed chair of the PBS awards committee (which soon turned into a one person committee, though eventually and fortunately for my ability to pursue research received invaluable departmental support in the form of Liz Rosdeitcher who took over much of the workload for departmental nominations). In this role, I (and then Liz and I) have taken pains to nominate women and recently other under-represented minorities (and have succeeded in a number of cases).
The university’s strategic plan includes a number of diversity initiatives. Working groups are currently being formed. I am involved in the Service to the State Pillar and am trying to push several initiatives, including hiring postdoctoral fellows and faculty from diverse backgrounds and/or focused on health disparities.
The College of Arts