Dive Brief:
- Purdue University’s first chief diversity officer may be its last, as Provost Debasish Dutta has taken over G. Christine Taylor’s former role.
- The Lafayette Journal & Courier reports that Dutta plans to focus more heavily on the recruitment of diverse faculty, where he said no progress has been made in the six years since Purdue created the chief diversity officer position.
- None of the diversity initiatives begun in Taylor’s tenure will be eliminated, and Dutta expects the elevation of those initiatives to the Office of the Provost will give them greater power university-wide.
Dive Insight:
In announcing the administrative change, Dutta said he expects to make more progress on diversity goals moving forward than were made during the first six years of the institution’s focus. To help him manage the added workload, two additional faculty members will be tapped to contribute their time and talents.
While the cutting of a diversity-focused position at first seems troubling at a time when elite campuses across the country are being asked to do a better job of recruiting and retaining minority students, Purdue may be laying the infrastructure to continue a necessary focus with one fewer administrator. If that goal is successful, critics of administrative bloat can claim a victory. Consolidating positions is always a cost-saving strategy, but it must be undertaken carefully so as not to compromise institutional effectiveness.