Flint chancellor to fill diversity post at Indiana

Charlie Nelms will be responsible for recruiting minority students and improving their graduation rates, said Indiana University President Myles Brand. The school created the position yesterday, which will strictly be devoted to increasing diversity on the school's eight campuses.

"I think it's one of the obligations of a major university to create an environment on campus that's supportive and caring for all students," Brand said.

Brand denied that two incidents during the past semester - a threatening letter sent to 19 black law students this month and the suspension of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity in October for conducting a racially tinged scavenger hunt - were the motivation behind Nelms' appointment.

Brand said the position was created solely to further Indiana's commitment to minority enrollment, education and graduation.

Nelms plans to step down as chancellor at Flint on July 31 after more than three years at the top post.

Nelms was credited with increasing diversity among campus faculty, staff and students.

University President Lee Bollinger said Wednesday he hopes a replacement will be "named and ready to start" by the time Nelms departs.

Indiana will allocate Nelms and his office $1 million to meet with students on all of Indiana's campuses. Initially, Nelms will be based in Indianapolis, where he plans to work with community groups to strengthen the school's minority recruiting.

"I'm here to help people with self-discovery so we can change things together," Nelms said.

Nelms will begin serving as a consultant Feb. 1. In August, he'll take on the added responsibility of being a tenured professor of education. Nelms got a doctorate in higher education administration from IU in 1977 and a master's degree in 1971.

The Arkansas native arrived at Flint in August 1994 after serving as chancellor at Indiana University's East campus in Richmond, Ind., from 1987-94. He said he selected Flint above three other schools because he wanted to make a difference in an urban setting.

Nelms said Bollinger and members of the University Board of Regents asked if there was something they could do to entice him to stay, but Nelms said it was time to enter a new phase of his life.

Calling it a "decision of the heart," Nelms said he pondered the issue for several weeks and decided to step down after much reflection, prayer and family discussions.

"I'm going to write a book - a combination about the importance of education and how I've managed to use education to not only advance personally, but to help other people in the process," Nelms told The Flint Journal. "Sort of the making of a chancellor, the making of a leader."

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