Sheryl Walter wears many hats as a clinical assistant professor at the Kelley School of Business, not the least of which is creating an environment where diversity, equity and inclusion are the norms.
Her impactful efforts have not gone unnoticed. Walter is one of the 2024 recipients of the Inclusive Excellence Award, a recognition that amplifies the significance of her
work in creating an inclusive environment.
Established in 2021 by the Bloomington Faculty Council’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and generously funded by the Office of the Provost and the Office of Research, the Inclusive Excellence Award is part of Indiana University’s institutional unwavering commitment to fostering a campus environment that advocates diversity, inclusion and racial justice.
“Supporting diversity, equity and inclusion is central to our mission at IU Bloomington,” says James C. Wimbush, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion and Johnson Chair for Diversity and Leadership. “Celebrating these talented and dedicated individuals, many of whom have been doing DEI work behind the scenes for years, is gratifying. Their research, teaching efforts, mentoring and support make a difference every day for our students and our campus.”
The 2024 recipients of the Inclusive Excellence Award receiving $1,500:
Assad Alsaleh—Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures in Hamilton Lugar School. Alsaleh is an associate professor researching modern Arabic literature and culture, comparative literature and cultural studies, Arab Spring, autobiography and literary theory.
Ishan Ashutosh—Department of Geography in College of Arts and Sciences. Ashutosh is an associate professor who studies urban, political and cultural geography, migration/diaspora issues and postcolonial studies.
This is a combined award for Alsaleh and Ashutosh for their work as fellows in the College's Office of Diversity and Inclusion and their contributions at speaker events focusing on the conflicts in Palestine and Israel.
The following 2024 awardees will receive $2,000:
Carolann Buff—Choral Conducting in Jacobs School of Music. Buff is an assistant professor researching late medieval motets, with expertise in historical performance. This award recognizes her efforts for a broader, more thoughtful choral music canon that incorporates contributions of historical art forms from diverse identities and racial/ethnic backgrounds into instructional pedagogy and puts resources and research into neglected voices of the past.
Emily Esola—Communication, Professional and Computer Skills in the Kelley School of Business. Esola, a lecturer, is being recognized for her efforts to serve Hudson & Holland and 21st Century scholars, as well as her work to make course revisions that reflect a more inclusive syllabus for students and fellow faculty.
Miyoung Hong—Interior Design in Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. In her research as a senior lecturer, Hong concentrates on the impact of designed environments and their relationship to human and organizational health, as well as the integration of health and wellness mindsets of students into their learning environments. This award recognizes her work over several years with IU students, professionals and middle school students at Owen Valley Middle School.
Katie Metz—Accounting in Kelley School of Business. As a senior lecturer, Metz is involved in federal taxes and decision-making, global financial analysis, international taxation and sustainability reporting. She uses her expertise to support department and school-level diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives and peer mentoring. This award recognizes her efforts to make instruction more inclusive and share that process with other faculty members.
Willa Tavernier—Scholarly Communication in Libraries. As an assistant librarian, Tavernier focuses her research on equitable scholarly communication, governance and sustainability from the perspectives of systems and labor. This award recognizes her student mentoring and curriculum development efforts, including an open educational resource (OER) on Black wealth in the United States.
Sheryl Walter—Management and Entrepreneurship in Kelley School of Business. Walter is a clinical assistant professor whose expertise includes individual differences and identity, leading change, motivation, diversity, equity, inclusion and justice. She is being recognized with this award for her work to create a new co-major in the Kelley School of Business, including an inclusive leadership course, her service to several DEI-related committees and serving as faculty director for IU’s Center of Excellence for Women and Technology.
The 2024 Inclusive Excellence Awardees will be celebrated in fall 2024. The Bloomington Faculty Council website provides more information about the award, nomination and selection process.
Past recipients of the Inclusive Excellence Award
On November 16, 2023, the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Bloomington Faculty Council honored past recipients of the Inclusive Excellence Award during a reception at the Gayle Karch Cook Center.
2023
Tom James—Professor, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Sonia Lee—Associate Professor, Departments of American Studies and Latino Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences; Associate Director, Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society
Sylvia Martinez—Director, Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society; Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, School of Education; and Department of Latino Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Eric Allen Sader—Lecturer, Business Law & Ethics, Kelley School of Business; Faculty Affiliate, Center for Research on Race & Ethnicity in Society
Malcolm Smith—Associate Professor, Ceramics, Eskenazi School of Architecture + Design; Director of Graduate Studies - Bloomington, College of Arts and Sciences
John Urheim—Professor, Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
Garfield Warren—Research Scientist, Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences
Ellen Wu—Associate Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences; Affiliated Faculty, Asian American Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences; Affiliated Faculty, Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society
2022
Raquel Anderson— Professor and Director of STEPS program, Department of Language and Hearing Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Amrita Chakrabarti Myers—Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History; Ruth N. Halls Associate Professor, Departments of History and Gender Studies; Affiliate Faculty, Departments of African American and African Diaspora Studies and American Studies, College of Arts & Sciences
Colin Johnson—Associate Professor, Department of Gender Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Mary Murphy—Herman B Wells Endowed Professor, Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
Amanda Rutherford—Associate Professor and Director Undergraduate Honors Program, O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs
2021
Kevin Brown—Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law Emeritus, Maurer School of Law
Arlene Díaz—Associate Professor, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences
Maria Hamilton Abegunde—Assistant Professor, Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies; Affiliate Faculty, Department of Gender Studies, College of Arts & Sciences; Founding Director, The Graduate Mentoring Center
Jennifer C. Lee—Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences
Maresa Murray—Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Undergraduate Education, Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Health
“Receiving this award is a high note in my career journey—and a personal motivator to continue pursuits that foster respect and empowerment on campus and in the community,” shares Eric Sader, a 2023 awardee. “Everyone has a contribution to make at IU—and it is important that my students feel affirmed and appreciated enough to be comfortable sharing their gifts in the classroom and beyond.”
In addition to teaching in the Business Law & Ethics department, Sader is a faculty affiliate for the Center for Research on Race & Ethnicity in Society and a field instructor at the LGBTQ+ Culture Center.
Sader hopes his work serves as a reminder to students to prioritize DEI while they are students and when they ultimately begin their careers.
“Both law and business possess significant power and influence in society,” he explains. “I try to instill in my students a responsibility as learners to wield such privilege ethically and professionally with competent awareness of DEI principles.”
Like Sader, Tom James, a professor of psychological and brain sciences and fellow 2023 awardee, emphasizes the principles of DEI in his curriculum.
“As much as possible, I try to take the lessons and tips that I disseminate through my service [roles] and apply them to my research and teaching,” he says. “This includes promoting work-life balance, advocating for faculty and reworking course materials to include examples of research by and on people from minoritized populations.”
Outside of the classroom, James is instrumental in advocating for diversity and inclusion on campus through leadership roles and initiatives such as the Advocates and Allies for Equity group, which has now transitioned to the Institute for the Advancement of Women.
Sylvia Martinez also believes that DEI work must be practiced outside of the confines of a classroom.
“The biggest challenge I see in many fields and work settings is that we still perceive DEI as something separate from the normal activities of work or educational settings,” Martinez notes. “Don’t get me wrong; we need universities and work settings to invest in personnel, programs and initiatives dedicated to DEI. But we still aren’t incorporating DEI principles into mainstream policies, procedures, curricula, etc.”
Martinez holds numerous positions at IU, including director of the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society (CRRES). There, her work focuses on understanding the influence of Latinx identities on higher education pursuits.
Martinez’s work has been featured in multiple journals throughout her career. Recently, she co-authored a book titled Understanding the Latinx Experience: Developmental and Contextual Influences. The collaboration received the 2021 American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Book of the Year award.
“It’s an honor to be recognized among a group of faculty members who have dedicated themselves to making Indiana University Bloomington a truly inclusive space,” Martinez says of receiving the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Award. “It feels like a cliche to say that I don’t do diversity, equity and inclusion work for the potential awards or accolades, but honestly, it feels really special to be recognized in this way.
“I’ve simply approached my service, teaching and research endeavors in a way that has been meaningful to me, and I’m happy to see it has had a positive impact on others,” she says.