Celebrating an innovative partnership and 75 years of research excellence

Seventy-five years after zoology professor Alfred C. Kinsey founded the groundbreaking Institute for Sex Research, Indiana University researchers continue to be at the forefront of addressing critical issues as part of the new Kinsey-Kelley Center for Gender Equity in Business.

The partnership between the Kinsey Institute and the Kelley School of Business will strengthen organizations by addressing gender equity, sexual misconduct and sexual harassment to make our workplaces safer and more equitable. The center’s charge illustrates how we can arrive at solutions with a far-reaching impact that benefits our university and our communities. 

Supported by a generous gift from Pam Meyer Yttri, an IU alumna and member of IU’s Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council, the Kinsey-Kelley Center’s outreach will provide organizations with research-based training, identification of equity issues and specific guidance on interventions. April Sellers, clinical professor of business law and ethics, will serve as the inaugural Pam Meyer Yttri Director of the Kinsey-Kelley Center.

The creation of this new center comes as we celebrate the Kinsey Institute’s 75th anniversary and its longstanding commitment to sexual and gender diversity research and outreach that improves lives. The milestone will be marked with numerous events, and the institute’s legacy continues to grow with expanded research, education and outreach programs under the leadership of current Executive Director Justin Garcia. Some of these include:

• A scholarly concentration allowing IU School of Medicine students to study human sexuality and health through the Kinsey Institute, which has already resulted in published research.
• A new research and intervention program focused on healthy relationships for rural Indiana high school students led by Zoë Peterson, professor of counseling and educational psychology and director of the Kinsey Institute’s Sexual Assault Research Initiative, and Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin, clinical professor of applied health science and affiliate faculty of the institute. 
• Multiple education programs including intensive courses that provide professional certification and promote knowledge about sex, sexuality, gender and relationships.

As a partnership between two of IU's most renowned academic entities, the Kinsey-Kelley Center for Gender Equity in Business will make a lasting impact in advancing gender equity and improving our world.

Pamela Whitten

President
Indiana University