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The Office of Equity and Diversity absorbs the duties of the former Affirmative Action Office and "provides leadership for creating a more collegial community and a more diverse experience for students," said IUS Chancellor F.C. Richardson. He said the idea for the newly created office was formulated after he attended the May meeting of the Trustees of IU. At the meeting, IU Vice President Kenneth Gros Louis presented a progress report on Strategic Directions Charter initiatives that included a section on under-representation.
The report indicated that IU had been losing ground with its affirmative action/diversity efforts, and that it should be the goal of each IU campus to address issues of diversity, climate and under-representation, with greater accountability for results. This single office structure now exists on all but two IU campuses.
"It occurred to me that, given the report of Vice President Gros Louis and the response of the trustees, I should seize the opportunity to broaden the scope of responsibilities of affirmative action at IUS," said Richardson. "After discussion with the campus Affirmative Action Committee in early June, I asked Jackie Love to direct this effort for the campus."
According to Richardson, it was also decided that the campus Affirmative Action Committee would broaden its advisory responsibilities.
Jackie Love is the first director of the new Office of Equity and Diversity on the IU Southeast campus. Her appointment was effective last fall. Her former position was counselor and coordinator of minority student recruitment in the admissions office.
In her new position as director of equity and diversity at IUS, Love is responsible for fostering enhanced equity and diversity within the campus as well as the community; investigating and resolving grievances to ensure compliance with Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity policies; coordinating and monitoring the recruitment and retention program for faculty, staff and students; preparing work force analysis to determine applicant availability; recommending approaches for effective selection and retention of under-represented groups to campus hiring officials; and representing IUS at community, state and national conferences and workshops.
"I am very excited to have this opportunity," Love said. "I see the position as a very worthwhile challenge."
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