Purdue Names New Center Director

July 2, 2012

News Release

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Lowell Kane has been appointed director of Purdue's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Center, university officials announced Monday (July 2).
The appointment is effective July 16.

Kane comes to Purdue from Texas A&M University, where he has been program coordinator and founding staff member of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center. Established in 2007, it was the first GLBT resource center at a public institution in Texas.

"Lowell has been an advocate and leader in the LGBTQ community for more than a decade, with specializations in educational programming, support services, fostering collaborative partnerships, facilitation, training and leadership development," said G. Christine Taylor, vice provost for diversity and inclusion.

"He has dedicated his work to the pursuit of equity by identifying ways to improve campus climate and shape the educational experience to be more inclusive and welcoming of all students."

In his position at Texas A&M, Kane focused on education, outreach and support. He also served as the south-central regional representative to the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals and presented at state and national conferences on a variety of LGBT topics.
"I am eager to begin my work at Purdue," Kane said. "I believe my experience at Texas A&M, particularly establishing the GLBT center and developing campus-wide programming has prepared me well for my new position."

In 2010, Kane was consulted by RAND Corp. for the implementation chapter of the 2010 publication "Sexual Orientation and U.S. Military Personnel Policy: An Update of RAND's 1993 Study." He said this text was the framework for implementing the repeal of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, which forbade gay men and lesbians from being open about their sexual orientation while serving.

He also is helping NASA's Johnson Space Center develop an LGBTQ Safe Zone program.

"NASA wants to develop an environment that affirms a diverse employee population that is free from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression," Kane said.
Kane was selected after a nationwide search.

Kane earned his bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he served as president of the LGBT Alliance and as an adviser on LGBT issues to campus administrators and faculty.
He received a master's degree in education from Texas A&M and is an alumnus of the Social Justice Training Institute. While at Texas A&M, he received the Phyllis Frye Advocacy Award and the Texas A&M Division of Student Affairs Award of Distinction and the Student Organization Adviser of the Year Award.

Source: Purdue University