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Lauren Bryant
Office of the Vice Provost for Research
labryant@indiana.edu
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Last modified: Friday, September 6, 2013

African literature expert Eileen Julien to direct IU's Institute for Advanced Study

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 6, 2013

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Eileen Julien, professor of French and comparative literature in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, has been appointed the new director of the Institute for Advanced Study.

Julien, who joined the IU Bloomington faculty in 1992, has a distinguished career in research and writing that explores the connections between Africa, Europe and the Americas. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters as well as two books: "African Novels and the Question of Orality" and her memoir, "Travels With Mae: Scenes From a New Orleans Girlhood."

Julien has received Guggenheim, Fulbright and Bunting Institute fellowship awards and is co-founder of the New Orleans Afrikan Film & Arts Festival, which hosts filmmakers at screenings of international, domestic and local films in New Orleans neighborhoods. She also served as founding director of the West African Research Center in Dakar and as executive director of the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland.

Since its creation in 1981, the Institute for Advanced Study has supported collaborative and interdisciplinary programs that encourage new directions of inquiry in all fields of study. The institute has hosted more than 400 international scholars. It is known for its Visiting Fellows Program, the Branigin Lecture series, the Remak New Knowledge Seminars and its interdisciplinary workshops. As Julien takes leadership, the institute will focus on the research and scholarly work of associate professors.

"I am excited about leading the Institute for Advanced Study," Julien said. "I look forward to building on the institute's traditions and developing new initiatives, particularly in support of recently tenured faculty."

"Provost Lauren Robel and I are very pleased that Eileen Julien has agreed to lead the Institute for Advanced Study," said Sarita Soni, vice provost for research at IU Bloomington. "The institute has a well-known record of supporting scholars and advancing scholarship; we're especially pleased to be focusing the institute's energy and resources on associate professors. The institute will offer mentoring, seed funding and infrastructure support to help these faculty expand the scope of their research and scholarship, leading to increased external funding awards and honors."

Julien will work closely with the institute's advisory committee and the OVPR's three associate vice provosts for research: Terry Mason, Ruth Stone and Pat Foster.

About the Office of the Vice Provost for Research

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Indiana University Bloomington is dedicated to supporting ongoing faculty research and creative activity, developing new multidisciplinary initiatives and maximizing the potential of faculty to accomplish path-breaking work.