IU welcomes new VP of diversity

IU announced July 18 that Edwin C. Marshall, a professor and associate dean for academic affairs and student administration at the IU School of Optometry, has been named the next vice president of diversity, equity and multicultural affairs.\nMarshall is replacing Charlie Nelms, who is leaving Aug. 1 to assume the position of chancellor at North Carolina Central University. \nIU President Michael McRobbie hailed Marshall as an excellent choice for the position. \n“Ed Marshall is an extremely accomplished member of the faculty and a person who has established a truly national and international reputation for academic excellence in his profession,” McRobbie said in an IU news release.\nMarshall will be the point-person in issues dealing with “diversity, equity and multicultural affairs on all IU campuses and (with) more specific \nresponsibilities at IU Blooming-ton,” according to the release.\nMcRobbie also noted in the release that Marshall’s work as an adjunct professor of public health in the IU School of Medicine will make him a valuable partner in many future life science initiatives the University pursues.\nMarshall’s work in optometry, which includes time as the first optometrist elected president of the Indiana Public Health Association, also led to his being named the 2007 Optometrist of the Year by the American Optometric Association, according to a July 13 IU news release. \nMarshall said in the most recent release that he recognizes the large void Nelms has left in the administration. He said he is “honored” to accept his new position and hopes to continue the work Nelms championed.\nMarshall said he looks forward to the many tasks ahead of him and spoke of his prior experience in expanding diversity. He traveled to historically black colleges and universities as a student to encourage others to pursue careers in optometry.\nHe also spoke of the emphasis he will place on collaborative efforts between different units of the University to achieve diversification goals throughout the IU community. \nMarshall, who also serves as a University marshal at official ceremonies, said his past experiences give him “a kind of platform to help advance IU’s agenda.”\nHe said he is committed to a current University plan to double minority enrollment \nby 2013.\nHe said, however, that he will look to diversify the University at all levels, especially within the faculty.\n“Students come to universities for many reasons,” Marshall said. “One of those reasons is faculty. They represent the mission of the university. If we have more diverse faculty within the academic units of the University, it is a good vehicle for helping to attract students from those diverse backgrounds.”\nUniversity Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said he believes Marshall’s current relationships with IU faculty and administration will be a great asset to the vice president as he attempts to facilitate the kind of collaboration Marshall said is so important.\n“In addition to energy and enthusiasm, Ed (Marshall) has very good relationships with a large number of faculty,” Gros Louis said. “That knowledge of a lot of faculty is going to make it easier to be collaborative.”\nGros Louis said one of Marshall’s most immediate responsibilities is ensuring the continued success of various programs previously overseen by Nelms that reach out to minority students in elementary, middle and high schools. These programs are meant not only to expose students to IU, but to show students college is a real possibility for them after high school.\nMarshall said he will need to first take stock of the resources at his disposal before deciding on any new initiatives as vice president. However, he plans to continue already-implemented programs and wants to develop “academic pipelines” to the University that can attract minority students to IU from various communities on a more regular basis.\nMarshall said he believes diversity is an important issue because students must be readied for the interconnected world they will enter upon graduation. He said he hopes to create this kind of learning environment as he takes office.\n“If ... society is becoming more and more diverse, closer knit individuals are going to have to be able to interact and relate to this very, very diverse and complex mixture,” Marshall said. “If IU is going to be an academic leader, then it is going to have to meet these demands.”