Anne Dolan Increasing the number of minority and women faculty at Iowa State is the top priority of Derrick Rollins, associate professor of statistics and chemical engineering and ISU's newly appointed adviser for diversity to the President's Cabinet. Rollins accepted the three-year appointment from President Martin Jischke last month and quickly identified minority faculty recruitment as a critical need at Iowa State. It's having diversity that makes the difference.
Faculty have so much influence and so much contact with the students.
Rollins said he would like to increase the number of women in the sciences, and Native Americans, Hispanics and African Americans in all academic fields. I recognize that departments have autonomy. I'm not the diversity department, but if they're interested in hiring minorities, I'll be there. Jischke noted in his fall convocation address that funding is available for four new faculty who will help strengthen the new curriculum requirement for coursework involving diversity and internationalization. Once departments are identified, Rollins will help recruit the broadest pool of candidates possible for these positions.