Indiana University: Diversity by Design
Diversity at Indiana University is more than a priority—it’s a legacy that began under the leadership of former President Herman B Wells in the mid-20th century. Today, President Pamela Whitten continues this important work with critical investments in efforts to advance social justice and equity and inspire the students who represent the future of not only Indiana University but also the world.
Yearly Highlights
- Appointing Indiana University’s first female president, Pamela Whitten, on November 4, 2021.
- Creating the $30 million Presidential Diversity Hiring Initiative, envisioned by President Pamela Whitten, for the sole purpose of helping IU diversify its faculty.
- Adding a new position to foster faculty diversity. As part of the Presidential Hiring Initiative, IU Bloomington Provost Professor Pamela Braboy Jackson was appointed as the first associate vice president for faculty and belonging.
- Instituting the date of June 19 as a university holiday to honor the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of enslavement in the United States.
- Renaming Jordan Avenue from near Law Lane to 17th Street in honor of a prominent Bloomington family in the Black community. The university-owned portion of Jordan Avenue between 17th Street and North Fee Lane was named after David Baker, a jazz legend who served as a distinguished professor of music and Department of Jazz Studies chair emeritus in the Jacobs School of Music.
