The College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington has named Ishan Ashutosh, an associate professor in the Department of Geography, and Asaad Alsaleh, an associate professor and chair of the Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures in the Hamilton-Lugar School of Global and International Studies, as the College’s 2023-24 Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) Faculty Fellows. 

The Faculty Fellows program, launched in 2020, was created with the purpose of cultivating DEI leadership in the faculty ranks and having faculty in a meaningful role driving and strategically advancing equity and inclusion in alignment with the College’s mission. Recent Fellows’ activities have included sessions on pay equity, a public performance focused on anti-Blackness, and programming that supports ongoing faculty success. 

“Since launching the ODI Faculty Fellows program, it’s been exciting to collaborate with and to witness the ways in which Fellows serve as catalysts for transformative change,” said Carmen Henne-Ochoa, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the College. “The impact of our Fellows’ efforts extends to several areas, including addressing issues that affect the retention and success of our faculty. I have the pleasure of seeing the ways in which Fellows inspire a culture of continual reckoning, learning, and adaptability that serves to elevate the College community.” 

Professor Ashutosh is a human geographer whose research advances two fundamental issues of geography—human mobility and the production of space. His work is at the intersection of political, urban, cultural, and historical geographies, and Ashutosh is particularly interested in how the movement of people, ideas, and commodities re-envision and reinforce geopolitical divides. Professor Alsaleh is an interdisciplinary scholar who researches modern Arabic literature and culture, with his most recent book examining the events and people that shaped the Syrian uprising and civil war. Alsaleh also researches comparative literature and literary theory, as well as cultural studies. 

Professors Ashutosh and Alsaleh succeed 2022-23 Fellows Selene Carter, an associate professor in the Department of Theatre, Drama & Contemporary Dance, and Candis Smith, a senior lecturer in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies.

About the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington

The College of Arts and Sciences is the beating heart of Indiana University Bloomington and traces its roots to IU's founding in 1820. Part of a leading R1 (Research 1) university, the College has more than 70 academic departments and programs offering undergraduate and graduate degrees within and across the natural and mathematical sciences, the arts, the humanities, and the social sciences. The College is also home to the Media School, the Hamilton-Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.

College faculty are groundbreaking researchers and dedicated teachers and mentors to students. With an array of options, opportunities, and experiences to choose from, students are able to prepare for fulfilling work as well as a meaningful life. More than 90 percent of our undergraduates report a successful career outcome six months after graduation. Learn more at college.indiana.edu.