students as you’re pulled into the various meetings and activities of leading the institution. I have been fortunate to be able to keep a “high touch” with the students. They come to me to discuss their academics, aspirations and apprehensions. I have begun to refer to them as my “Tech babies.” My colleagues have been nothing but the best. They have shown me great support, patience and understanding. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: You are Indiana Tech’s first associate vice president for diversity and inclusion and its first chief diversity officer. How does it feel to be chosen by a university to fill a new role and begin a department from scratch? LISA GIVAN: I am excited to be in this position, currently in both mine and Indiana Tech’s history. Indiana Tech is full of change agents. To
have them consider and create an inaugural role such as mine shows a fearless commitment to greatness. It was a hard decision to leave Kent; I had a job that I loved, and I was home, however, I knew I had so much more to offer. I knew my own capacity had outgrown my current responsibilities. I said coming in that I would work in a space of “we don’t know what we don’t know.” That allows all of us to be in safe and brave spaces as we figure out what the Office of Diversity and Inclusion looks like at Tech. This position has opened the gates and allowed me to create, align and advance the already established diversity structures built by the diversity trailblazers at Tech. To them, I owe a debt of gratitude because they— without having the title, the prestige or the salary—pushed the university
to a place of betterment. So, as I take the baton from them and run my leg of this diversity race, I do so with thankfulness and humility. Building a formal strategic diversity agenda is a hard thing to do. However, we have a great team in our office—a team comprised of people who are passionate about this work and have rolled up their sleeves to achieve our outcomes. I also have supportive leadership who have given me the runway space to do this work while encouraging me to “lead up.” I am genuinely looking forward to what we at Indiana Tech build together. INDIANA TECH MAGAZINE: In 2018, Indiana Tech’s strategic plan task force identified the continued development of a vibrant, inclusive and diverse culture that connects all of our campuses and locations CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 →
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION HOSTS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CELEBRATION Two days of passionate oratory from Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington and a well-attended community breakfast highlighted the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s first-ever Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Jan. 23 and 24. Dr. Washington, president and founder of the Washington Consulting Group, which is rated by the Economist as one of the Top 10 Global Diversity Consultants in the world, was the keynote speaker for the breakfast. He also delivered a presentation to Indiana Tech faculty and staff and another to students during his time in Fort Wayne. “Our celebration was amazing! I have heard nothing but positive feedback from Indiana
Tech colleagues and community partners in Fort Wayne. I think our planning committee and staff did an awesome job pulling this event together, and I am looking forward to next year,” said Indiana Tech vice president for diversity and inclusion, Lisa Givan. “The sentiment is that this inaugural event will be hard to beat as Dr. Washington set the bar very high. His keynote speech was just what we needed to hear at this point in our history at Indiana Tech. “It is my sincerest hope that all who attended departed feeling empowered to do something that positively affects change,” Givan said. “It is also my hope that as we celebrate the life and legacy of such an exceptional man who died for change, we move forward with the realization that are all in this together and that it is our responsibility to work harder to mend our fractured world, particularly those things that continue to torment our society.”
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