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Tamela Eitle named dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI

For Immediate Release Oct 28, 2020

INDIANAPOLIS – Tamela Eitle has been named dean of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI effective Jan. 1, subject to approval by the IU Board of Trustees.

Eitle most recently served as vice provost for curriculum, accreditation and assessment at Montana State University, providing strategic contributions to the leadership of academic, faculty and student affairs while leading a number of institutional initiatives promoting collaboration and strengthening campus structures. She is also a professor of sociology.

“Dr. Eitle brings an impressive record of administrative experience to our School of Liberal Arts through her roles as associate dean and vice provost,” IUPUI Chancellor Nasser H. Paydar said. “The breadth and depth of that experience – leading change, building teams and navigating complex institutional processes, in addition to her years of scholarship in sociology that focus on health disparities and inequalities in educational opportunities – prepare her well to lead the school toward positive change that will also strengthen IUPUI as a whole.”

At Montana State, Eitle led and collaborated on initiatives to improve retention and completion and represented the school’s Office of Academic Affairs on diversity and equity-minded initiatives. She was also the accreditation liaison officer to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, responsible for ensuring that assessment, planning and budgeting were aligned with the strategic mission and goals of the university.

Eitle led Montana State successfully through the reaccreditation process in 2017, building universitywide collaborative processes and sustainable systems around institutional effectiveness, focusing on student learning and achievement and data-informed planning and budgeting in alignment with the university’s strategic plan and NWCCU’s accreditation standards.

While serving as vice provost, she also led and supported faculty in a coordinated and campus-informed process of reinvigorating Montana State’s core curriculum. The process resulted in the development of three focused universitywide learning outcomes that are true to the institution’s values and easily communicated to students, faculty and staff. She also contributed to the development and implementation of the school’s strategic plan, called “Choosing Promise.”

“I am honored to be selected as the next dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, and I am excited to join with the talented faculty, staff and students to confront the challenges of this moment and work together to enhance research, scholarship, teaching and civic engagement,” Eitle said. “My previous roles working with faculty on a universitywide level have provided a broader perspective that I look forward to bringing to the diverse group of academics who are the hallmark of the School of Liberal Arts.

“As a scholar who studies educational inequality, I am well aware of the power of a liberal arts degree and am eager to help foster the growth of IUPUI liberal arts and further its collaborations around the university and in the community.”

This position represents a return to IU for Eitle, as she earned a Ph.D. in sociology with a minor in social foundations of education in 1998 from IU, as well as a Master of Arts degree in sociology in 1993. She completed her undergraduate work in 1990 at the University of Kansas with a double major in sociology and personnel administration.

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