Eschewing one-size-fits-all, the dean of Virginia Tech Graduate School has developed an inclusion/diversity requirement that will enable programming to fit departmental needs.
“Karen DePauw’s leadership has significantly advanced graduate education at Virginia Tech and in the higher education community more broadly,” says Dr. Suzanne T. Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. “Karen’s life-long commitment to a diverse and inclusive graduate community is evident in her many accomplishments and sets of standards to which many aspire.”
When Dr. Karen P. DePauw arrived at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Graduate School in 2002, she was intent on building a strong, diverse and inclusive graduate community. As the vice president and dean for graduate education, her vision was to implement Transformative Graduate Education (TGE).
“I wanted … to create opportunities for the graduate students to be better prepared for wherever it is that they are going,” says DePauw. “I adopted the theme of a 21st century university, and that approach meant that it had to be inclusive, affirming, diverse.”
That vision might never have come to be when Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors refused to hire DePauw’s partner, Dr. Shelli Fowler, even though she had been approved by the English department.
“We made the decision that we’re going to face them, so we moved to Virginia Tech and then created opportunities for activism,” says DePauw. Fowler was eventually hired. “That was an example of how one can stand by the principles and values of social justice. I think that helped others at the university see that it was possible for the university to be more inclusive.”
Over the past 17 years, DePauw’s vision has evolved as needs have changed. The Graduate Life Center (GLC), which provides services to meet the needs of graduate students, has received national recognition.
