On August 23, 2021, I started my position within the Purdue Polytechnic Institute as the inaugural associate dean for diversity, equity & inclusion and faculty affairs. One of the reasons why I accepted this new opportunity was the Polytechnic’s leadership and the many others in the college who had shown a clear commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and advocacy. I also realized rather quickly that the unit I would be leading – the Office of Recruitment, Retention, and Diversity (RRD) – had developed a strong track record of serving the needs of women students and students of color. I was also excited to become a part of RRD because this office is perhaps the only one of its kind across Purdue, with integrated undergraduate recruitment and retention and diversity.
There are two advantages I bring to my role as associate dean that will help me be effective. First, I have been a faculty member for nearly 20 years, 13 of which have been at Purdue, which affords me the opportunity to understand the needs of faculty and to help them be successful. Second, I will also be able to take advantage of what I have learned over the years as a researcher and as someone who developed strong and impactful diversity engagement programs like the Mentoring@Purdue (M@P) program, for which I serve as director.
I have been asked fairly often in my first 100+ days on the job to share my goals, and more will be forthcoming as it relates to my goals for our office. I have already instituted a three-phase “Goal Development and Refinement Process,” which includes: Phase 1, Conducting Listening Sessions; Phase 2, Conducting an Environmental Scan; and Phase 3, Goals Clarification.
My goal is not simply to help elevate the presence of diversity, equity, inclusion and advocacy in the Polytechnic Institute; rather, I want these important elements to be practiced by everyone in the college in meaningful and authentic ways. Creating a culture in which everyone who walks through the doors of the Polytechnic feels a sense of belonging is extremely important and something that I will work diligently to accomplish; however, it will take the collective efforts of everyone in the college to make this vision a reality.
I look forward to being an integral part of the Polytechnic family and encourage you to reach out to me at any time.
Boiler Up!
Levon T. Esters
Professor & Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Faculty Affairs
Purdue Polytechnic Institute