Dear IU Bloomington Faculty, Staff and Student Academic Appointees,
With this latest message on the work of our Task Force on Graduate Education, I write with updates about new recommendations received from the working group on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and to highlight how we are incorporating the work of the Task Force and our vision for graduate education at IU into our IUB 2030 strategic planning process.
First, last week I received a set of thoughtful recommendations from the Task Force’s DEI working group. I am particularly thankful to Rebecca Slotegraaf, Associate Dean for Research at the Kelley School of Business, and Amrita Myers, Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of History, for leading these efforts as co-chairs of the working group.
As we consider the full scope of their recommendations, today I can confirm our action to implement the following components as soon as possible.
- The IUB Graduate School is committing a minimum of $75,000 to support pursuit of opportunities to recruit a more diverse graduate student population across schools and colleges. This includes more proactive marketing and additional recruitment visits and engagement, including with students attending HBCUs and Latine-serving institutions and outreach to students participating in professional, state, and national organizations serving underrepresented populations. We will also rejoin the National Name Exchange Program to supplement ongoing recruitment efforts.
- Following the committee’s recommendation, we will also prioritize the inclusion of shared cultural experiences—from food to music, art, language, and conversation—within the space we are creating specifically for graduate students on our campus, which we hope to launch in time for spring term.
- With a similar goal of creating points of connection among our graduate students, I have also charged the Graduate School and Student Affairs with identifying new opportunities, academic or social, to bring together graduate students across disciplines.
Lastly, we have also shared the full list of recommendations with key campus partners, including the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, for further consideration and action. We will continue to keep the IUB community informed as additional steps are taken to implement key recommendations from the working group.
As I shared separately this week, my charge to the IUB 2030 planning teams is to deliver a recommended strategic plan for IU Bloomington by March of next year. This strategic plan will incorporate recommendations from the various Task Force Working Groups to ensure that our strategic plan reflects our ambitions for graduate education – in the short-, medium-, and long-term.
Second, this week week also launched our IUB 2030 strategic planning process with 300+ faculty, staff, and students from across IU who will play key leadership roles in directing this work, which will incorporate the contributions of the Task Force on Graduate Education. By combining our efforts to further strengthen graduate education within our larger strategic planning process, we can establish greater consensus on our shared goals and plan appropriately to provide the resources and support necessary to enact our vision. To ensure that the full range of input and recommendations from the Task Force on Graduate Education can be fully incorporated in the IUB 2030 planning, Interim Dean of the Graduate School David Daleke and the Task Force have agreed to accelerate the development of their recommendations to join with the IUB 2030 planning process. I very much appreciate their flexibility in this regard.
Thank you again to the DEI Working Group and to all who are engaged thoughtfully in shaping the future of graduate education and of IU more broadly. It’s an honor to be serving alongside you.
Sincerely,
Rahul Shrivastav
Provost
Indiana University Bloomington