Purdue News

February 18, 2000 Purdue hires new diversity director WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A university administrator with five years experience in promoting campus diversity will become Purdue University's new diversity resource director. Dorothy M. Simpson-Taylor has accepted the position and will start at the beginning of April. She has been a special assistant to the for ethnic diversity at Indiana State University, Terre Haute, since the spring of 1995. "Dr. Simpson-Taylor impressed me with her enthusiasm and experience," said Alysa Rollock, vice president for human relations. "She also was warmly received by the campus members who met her during her visit to West Lafayette." Her work in diversity programs has been recognized by President Clinton's Initiative on Race, the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Indiana State Civil Rights Commission. "Diversity and multicultural agendas work only if a community is involved," Simpson-Taylor said. "I believe that commitment comes when everyone sees the agenda as an opportunity for maximizing individual as well as organizational potential. I do what I do not just because it is right, but because it is the only calling for me at this point in my life." Simpson-Taylor joined the faculty at Indiana State in 1991. She is an assistant professor in the Department of African/African American Studies and an adjunct professor in the Department of Counseling. She also was a faculty member at the University of Northern Colorado. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and her doctorate from the University of Denver. The Diversity Resource Office's responsibilities include developing programs and activities that foster a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all people. CONTACTS: Rollock, (765) 494-5830; Simpson-Taylor, (812) 237-3619 To the Purdue News and Photos Page