Indiana University South Bend

A Brief History of Affirmative Action on the Indiana University South Bend Campus

• December 1973: IU South Bend Chancellor Lester Wolfson made the announcement that the IUSB campus needed “… individual(s) who will be chiefly responsible for implementation and monitoring of Affirmative Action efforts. (This, as well as a review of all current practices and policies, is in process of being done.) . This was in conjunction with the University as a whole moving toward making final an Affirmative Action for the system.
  
• Gloria Kaufman, Professor of Women’s Studies and English, was the first Affirmative Action Officer (AAO), and her term expired in May of 1974.
  
• Rogelio de la Torre, Professor of Spanish (Note: de la Torre eventually became Acting Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and retired from IUSB in 1991) followed Gloria Kaufman as Affirmative Action Officer. He served from 1974 to 1978.
  
• Greg Baur of the Division of Education became Affirmative Action Officer in 1978. He served his term through 1980.
  
• Mary K. Rathburn, Assistant Director, Public Careers Internship and Placement Center in Public and Environmental Affairs, became Affirmative Action Officer in July of 1980.
  
• Earl Savage of the Division of Biological Sciences was the Affirmative Action Officer beginning in 1985 and resigned in August of 1987.
  
• Cathy Duncan, Director of Personnel and Academic Services, acted as interim Affirmative Action Officer beginning in August, 1987.
  
• Karen White, of the Division of Education (Note: White then went on immediately after her term as AAO as Interim Director of University Services, and eventually became first Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Services and now – in 2007 – Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Services) became Affirmative Action Officer for the year of 1988. (Note: Daniel Cohen was installed in this time as Chancellor – April 1988, and was the one to officially appoint Dr. Norton to the position).
  
• Steven Norton of the Division of Business and Economics became the Affirmative Action Officer in September of 1989.
  
• Linda Fisher, Government Publications Librarian, became Affirmative Action Officer in the June of 1995. She served until June of 1998.
  
• Patricia Marvel served as Affirmative Action Director in an interim capacity beginning in 1998 until 2000. (Note: Kenneth Perrin was installed in this time as Chancellor – in 1996, and was the one to officially appoint Patricia Marvel to the position).
  
• Patricia Dees is the Affirmative Action as of 2000, first beginning as “Acting Special Assistant to the Chancellor and Director, Affirmative Action”, then “Acting Affirmative Action Officer”, and finally Affirmative Action Officer. Patricia Dees is in her last year as Affirmative Action Officer, as she is retiring in Summer of 2007. There will be a search for a new officer. (Note: Una Mae Reck was installed in this time as Chancellor – in 2002, becoming the fourth and current Chancellor of the Indiana University South Bend campus).