Karen Dace expected to be IUPUI's new vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion

Pending approval by the IU Board of Trustees, Karen Dace is to be appointed as IU-Purdue University Indianapolis’ next vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion effective Sept. 3, according to a press release.

The appointment was announced by IUPUI Chancellor and IU Executive Vice President Charles R. Bantz.

“Having a senior-level administrator focused at the campus level on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion has already produced gains for IUPUI in recent years,” Bantz said in the release.

“Professor Dace has 14 years’ experience as a chief diversity officer at two public universities, published research on diversity-related topics and demonstrated an exceptional ability to build relationships across constituencies. She is a thoughtful, experienced and dedicated leader whose definition of diversity is as broad as it is inclusive — just what a campus as large as IUPUI needs to advance our diversity goals.”

Dace was chosen after an extensive national search chaired by IU School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Dean Austin Agho, according to the release. Dace most recently served as deputy chancellor in the Division of Diversity, Access and Equity at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

“I am excited about the opportunity to become part of the IUPUI effort to enhance diversity through collaborations on and off campus,” Dace said in the release. “My meetings with IUPUI leadership, students, faculty and staff; the diversity equity and inclusion professionals already in place; and members of the surrounding community demonstrated a great commitment and vision for this initiative, and I look forward to working with everyone as we, together, strive to make IUPUI a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Dace received her B.A. in liberal arts and her M.A. in mass communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Iowa.

—Makenzie Holland