BLOOMINGTON – Two Indiana University Bloomington professors have been selected for endowed faculty positions named in honor of the late Herman B Wells, longtime IU president, and chancellor.
Dionne Danns, professor in the School of Education, adjunct professor in African American and African Diaspora studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, and former associate vice provost for institutional diversity, has been named a Class of 1950 Herman B Wells Endowed Professor.
Claudia Johnson, professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, affiliate faculty to the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and director of the Center for Biological Research Collections, all in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a Class of 1948 Herman B Wells Endowed Professor.
The selection recognizes outstanding scholars and teachers who exemplify Wells’ values, including devotion to diversity, inclusion, student learning and academic excellence.
“Professors Danns and Johnson both embody the spirit and the values of Herman B Wells,” said Eliza Pavalko, IU Bloomington vice provost for faculty and academic affairs. “They are committed to excellence as teachers and mentors and are extraordinary scholars. As recognized experts, they have contributed vastly to the body of knowledge and to advancing diversity and promoting inclusion, not only in their respective departments but at the university level, across the nation and beyond.”
Herman B Wells was Indiana University’s 11th president, from 1937 until 1962, and was university chancellor from 1962 until his death in 2000. Graduating classes of 1948 and 1950 at IU Bloomington conducted fundraising campaigns to endow professorships in his memory.
Wells Endowed Professors receive a grant of $10,000 per year for five years, intended to enrich the educational experience of the undergraduate IU Bloomington classroom. They retain the title for the remainder of their careers at the university.
