By: LUCAS BURKETT
Staff Writer
Former chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College Jose Valtierra is applying for director of affirmative action and campus diversity and title IX coordinator at Indiana University South Bend.
Valtierra presented his bid for employment to the Director of Affirmative Action and Campus Diversity and the Title IX search committee, faculty, staff and students.
“I was involved in the Upward Bound program in high school—that got me excited to be in education,” he said.
The Upward bound program, a federally funded academic program, allowed Valtierra to attend college.
“That speaks to me being a first-generation, low-income student.”
Valtierra graduated from Purdue in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in social studies teaching. After college, he attended law school at Indiana University Mauer School of law, graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1982. He also holds a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University.
He matriculated into a doctoral program at Indiana University in higher education administration but did not complete his dissertation.
After graduate school, Valtierra worked as the director of the Purdue Calumet Upward Bound. Later, he moved to Ivy Tech as the Regional Dean of Student affairs. In 2002, he was appointed Chancellor of Ivy Tech State College, Northwest Region
According to Valtierra, his greatest achievement as chancellor involved recruiting more students to Ivy Tech.
“We were at 4,000 students when I started, and over 16,000 when I left. We surveyed the needs of the community, and we meet those needs.”
After ten years as chancellor, Valtierra retired in 2012.
Valtierra believes his role as Chancellor gives him a unique opportunity to be IUSB’s next director of affirmative action and campus diversity and title IX coordinator.
“Have been dealing with issues of diversity, again, because of my background and because of the environments I’ve been in, where the intent initially with diversity had been an initial black and white conversation but quickly went from race and color into thought processes, into ethnicity, into life-style choices.”
If awarded the position, Valtierra said, his number one priority would be to make sure IUSB is in compliance with title IX and affirmative-action laws and mandates.
“There’s a process that has to be followed. There are guidelines. There are roles. There are regulations that need to be complied with, and I think the administrative background I have permits that to happen. The law background that I have allows me that opportunity to work in that particular area,” he said.
However, being proactive is key for Valtierra.
“The more proactive a person can be, the better the office will be,” Valtierra concluded.
The search for IUSB’s next affirmative action and diversity coordinator and title IX director continues Wednesday, September 9th. Ameen Najjar will host a forum for faculty and staff from 11:00-11:50 am and a student forum 1-1:15 pm in the Alumni Room of the Administration building.
For more information, contact John McIntosh, chairperson of the Director of Affirmative Action and Campus Diversity and Campus Title IX Coordinator search committee, at jmcintos@iusb.edu
