As a child, Martin McCrory knew he wanted to one day be an attorney like television's "Perry Mason," with a stalwart passion for justice. Eventually, to pursue his goals, McCrory attended Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in forensic studies as an undergraduate and then earning his doctorate of law from the IU School of Law, now the Maurer School of Law. 

After law school, McCrory took a job as assistant corporation counsel for the City of Indianapolis, specializing in civil rights and human resources. He moved to a position as an Indiana Deputy Attorney General, where he transitioned from civil rights to environmental enforcement, continuing to fight for the rights of Hoosiers -- usually those who lacked the expertise, resources or power to fight for themselves. 

McCrory then moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a litigation attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources Division. He continued his environmental enforcement career as a senior attorney and later as the Director of the Public Health division with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the top five environmental non-governmental organizations in the U.S. In that position, McCrory was able to combine his work in civil rights with environmental enforcement by working in environmental justice and sustainable development.  He continues to work and research in these fields.

After leaving D.C., McCrory accepted a faculty position at IU Bloomington in the Kelley School of Business as a professor in Business Law and Ethic. Nineteen years later, in 2013, McCrory was named Vice Provost for the Office of Educational Inclusion and Diversity and the Associate Vice President for the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs. 

"I am honored by the trust that is being placed in me, and I look forward to the opportunity to further serve the university," McCrory said. "I have personally experienced living the role of both a disadvantaged minority undergraduate student and graduate student on this campus. In those roles, I have seen this campus when it has been extremely inclusive, and when it has been unbelievably insensitive and exclusive."

With his unique perspective as undergraduate alumnus, graduate alumnus, faculty member and administrator, McCrory is excited to again have the opportunity to help people gain equal access to public education and to feel welcome and included in a public institution.

He agrees with Vice President James Wimbush, who said IU should be recognized as "a place where a diverse community of faculty, staff, students and postdocs feel they have the opportunity to thrive."

McCrory said these essential concepts, diversity and inclusiveness, are too important to be expressed solely by spreadsheets and graphs. He also believes that the challenge of becoming a more diverse and inclusive campus cannot be met by mere changes in population density; without connecting the notions of respect and acceptance, the terms "diversity" and "inclusiveness" are meaningless, he said.

"For diversity and inclusiveness to become real, they must become a way of life; they must become a part of the campus spirit," McCrory said.

"I want IU to become a beacon for diversity and inclusiveness. When people think of IU, I want them to think of diversity and inclusiveness; when they think of college diversity and inclusiveness, I want them to think of IU."  McCrory aspires to make this vision a regional, national and international reality.