{ Sustainability }
Chief Diversity Officer Bindu Kolli Jayne
Fostering a Community of Diverse Scholars Bindu Kolli Jayne is helping build a more fulfilling academic and personal Appalachian Experience with a diverse array of voices. by Elisabeth Wall
Don’t be mislead by Bindu Kolli Jayne’s generous smile and gracious manner. Appalachian State University’s chief diversity officer and associate vice chancellor for equity, diversity and compliance is fierce about “making this campus look different.” She is equipped for the challenge: she has the Chancellor’s charge to increase diversity at Appalachian, her juris doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, half a decade’s experience in policy, compliance and equity affirmative action – mostly at the University of Delaware – and a passion for change. “Diversity is not an add-on, or a checklist,” she said. “We need to make diversity the normal; not nice to have, need to have.” Since she arrived at Appalachian in June of 2014, she has made it her business to encourage and promote “a diverse array of voices everywhere on campus – in the classroom, in our policies, in the speakers we invite, the books and resources our faculty use.” In a conversation with Interim Sustainability Director Lee Ball, she shared her thoughts about social justice and diversity in respect to sustainability, and her efforts and challenges on campus. Following are Jayne’s observations from the first of Dr. Ball’s “Find Your Sustain Ability” podcast series. appstate.edu/listen7 24 2015 • issue 1