Kenyan-Born Dr Jane Irungu Appointed as Director at University of Oklahoma

Dr Jane Irungu, a Kenyan-born college administrator has been appointed as the director of the University of Oklahoma’s Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies. Irungu, who will begin her new role on August 2nd, joins the Oklahoma from the University of Oregon, where she has been serving as Assistant Vice President and director of Intercultural Initiatives.

In her new role, she is expected to focus on project management and program growth, including the highly successful National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE).

 “I am excited to have Dr. Irungu join us as director of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies (SWCHRS) under Outreach at the University of Oklahoma,” said Belinda Biscoe, interim vice president for outreach at the University of Oklahoma.

 “Her experiences in the social justice field including working with underrepresented groups and working on multicultural and international issues will serve to complement the significant work underway at OU. Additionally, Dr. Irungu will work with the center staff and Outreach administration to ensure that the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) in American Higher Education remains the premiere conference on race and ethnicity and issues of social justice in the United States.”

She has over three decades of experience in education and intercultural relations fields and has worked with K-12, higher education professionals and private organizations in the US and in Africa. She has also worked at the University of Kansas for twelve years in different capacities.

She holds a PhD in Higher Education Administration and Policy Studies and a Masters in Higher Education Administration in 2000 from the University of Kansas. She also graduated with Bachelors degree in Education in 1986, with majors in Kiswahili and was a teacher before moving to the U.S. in 1997.

 “I am thrilled to be joining the University of Oklahoma Outreach under the leadership of the interim vice president for outreach, Dr. Belinda Biscoe,” said Irungu.

 “There is an incredible amount of transformative work that is ongoing at all levels; locally, nationally and internationally. I look forward to collaborations and partnerships, including those within Oklahoma that will continue the vision of transformative change in social justice education, research, advocacy and intercultural understanding.”