New office to enhance diversity

After serving for five years as assistant dean of Potter College, John Hardin will be moving on to help diversify Western as Assistant to the Provost for Diversity Enhancement.

Hardin, who was assigned to the new position by Provost Barbara Burch, began his new role Oct. 1.

While he is making the transition to his new position, Hardin said he is still helping with duties in Potter until his former position is filled.

Burch said Hardin has been very active in finding ways to increase diversity on campus. She said the deans and faculty she spoke with recognized him as a contributor for diversity enhancement. She said he became a logical choice for the position.

Hardin said diversity is the philosophy that everyone is different. He said by exposing students to diverse faculty, Western is helping them to adapt.

Burch said Hardin’s duties will include working to get diverse, qualified faculty and staff, achieve diversity enhancement objectives, and improve communication about diversity.

Burch said Hardin will work with the office of the Provost, deans, department heads, faculty, academic and student affairs staff and the Equal Opportunity Office to accomplish those goals.

Hardin will also continue working as an associate professor in the history department.

Hardin said his first goal in the new position will be to work with the different departments at Western to create the widest pool of candidates for faculty positions.

“It’s important that we have diversity,” he said.