Howard Kallem Named Director of Title IX Compliance at Duke

Howard Kallem, who has two decades of experience handling issues of sexual harassment in higher education, has been named director of Title IX compliance at Duke University. 

Kallem will report to Ben Reese, vice president for institutional equity, who has been serving as Title IX coordinator as part of his vice president responsibilities. 

Reese said with growing national scrutiny of issues of sexual assault on campus, "it made sense to have one individual who could devote their full time to every aspect of this issue, including training, overseeing the process of how we handle complaints and reviewing our policies and practices. 

"The fact that we've created a full-time position, and brought in someone with Howie's experience and expertise, should indicate that we take this as seriously as anyone in higher education."

Kallem comes to Duke from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he has served as Title IX compliance coordinator since January 2014. Previously, he spent nearly two decades in the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, where he specialized in civil rights enforcement and Title IX compliance. Kallem began work at Duke this week.

While Title IX has long been a key element in promoting gender equity in collegiate athletics, several major events in 2014 have underscored its wider requirements.  In May, President Obama said holding universities responsible for effectively addressing sexual assaults on campus was a priority of his administration. The announcement was preceded by the Department of Education launching investigations of more than 50 universities for possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints.

Reese said he wants Duke to be "a national leader on the issue" and wants Kallem to work with students, faculty and staff to review Duke's Title IX practices and ensure the university has the most effective policies in place.

"The national scrutiny on Title IX has created conversations across campus that are healthy," Reese said. "It encourages everyone to look at the way we think about how universities handle sexual violence complaints. With Howie's guidance, I expect us to come out of this with improved processes."

As director of Title IX compliance, Kallem will work with a variety of student, staff and faculty groups from across the university. Recently, Duke students have promoted conversations and educational programs about Title IX.  In October, students invited a group called Know Your Title IX to train campus activists and provide them with tools to instigate change.

"I'll do a lot of listening initially, talking with students and others to find out what their concerns are," Kallem said. "My title is director of Title IX compliance, but for me that's just a start. I think we all want to go beyond mere compliance. The goal should be to build an environment that is safe and welcoming for all students and staff, through awareness, education and training."