During her 25-year tenure at IUPUI, her influence extended campuswide as a woman of many firsts. She was the first female assistant dean at the IU School of Medicine, and later served as the first female dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, 1995–97.
Doris Merritt
Featured Leadership Topics
Navigate Change
“It was very important. It was good for the School of Medicine, it was good for the School of Engineering, it was good for the students who didn’t want to spend time in West Lafayette. They still had to take some courses in West Lafayette, but they preferred to be full-time here. And, of course, we are now such a huge campus, it was just part of the growth of the campus. It was right for the campus.”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
Storytelling
“Towards the end of the war, you knew that you would soon be out of a job and that you had to decide what you were going to do next. In your biography, you said quote “I wanted something that would be interesting and would support me comfortable, without requiring dependence on a man."”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
Storytelling
“It made me laugh, but both the General Medical Study Section and the Cardiovascular Study Section were the two largest sections and they broke each of those in half, so that they needed an executive secretary for each. And then I also had been routing applications when they came into Study Sections and councils for review and funding and they needed somebody to do that. I don’t know how to explain it. I just could do it easily and I did it.”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
Storytelling
“I’m just a girl who can’t say no – and it seemed like a challenge. (LAUGHING) And I understood that there is a lot of criticism from people who really didn’t know any better about the state supporting public universities, and particularly research programs.”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
Promote Values and Ethics
“I think so because when I was asked to do something, I didn’t start at the beginning and say, “Now where am I going?” I started by saying, “Where do I think I want to get to?” And starting from the endpoint and working backward showed me the way forward.”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
Lead Confidently
“And part of the maneuvering was the willingness to take responsibility and it was like the auditing thing. They were afraid on their own account to “okay” something and they needed somebody who would be willing to take the flack if it was wrong.”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
Defy Injustice and Inequality
“When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine, I don’t think there were three women Deans in the United States.”
Description of the video:
I'm going to talk a little bit about Herman Wells now because he seemed like a very important figure throughout your professional life. So during your first stint at IU, you developed a very close working relationship with Herman Wells in for those that are not familiar, Herman Wells was the 11th president of Indiana University and its greatest. After another oral history interview that I conducted with your friend and former former colleague, Dr. Angela McBride. She told me that Hermann was an administrator that you had the highest respect for. And this is also apparent through the sections in your biography of that pertain to IU. So can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Dr. Wells and why he was such an important force in your career? I think remember when be Chrissy accepted me. When I became an Assistant Dean in the School of Medicine. I don't think there were three women deans in the United States. You are the first female dean at the time where you were the only female dean at the time, they were someone who was dean of the Women's College of Medicine, Philadelphia. But you were the only female DNA right? So far is on here except for except for Nursing. Dean of the School of Nursing, report it to the Dean of the School of Medicine right at the time. And hurling rocks had no problem with that. How fishery. He had no problem with asking for where he's like my pre-health when we discover business application to nasa. And he very thoroughly put me on his IU Foundation research Canada, which was sort of a fluke. I don't know if I talked about that. I don't screw apparatus and they were just three games with me. There was lots of Anheuser for finance and how many for education. And my office was in the board room library where I shot her point at my desk secretary. And We're processing applications for continuation or NIH grants that were firms that had I think certainly read six card ID copies. And when we had to make a correction or unwanted various applications on a manual typewriter. Oh, yes. You couldn't hit hard enough. I missed I said this in front of you. Just weren't reading rooms. And I asked her, who is the Dean for finance for an electric typewriter. And he said no, he couldn't give me where. I said, Well, I don't mean to cross through her for $50 and he said no question. 700. Right. He said, Well, I give your separatory wearing my secretaries front and warm the deans secretaries, grandma or any numeric. So it's going to cost me 750 left or typewriters. Somebody saw it and I said, Well, I never allowed to request Herman, where it says precedent of the IU Foundation Research Committee chairman for a request for $250. I said this doesn't seem like research support, but if on a cart and snack bar where you're supposed to get $800,000 or a fashion I would never use. And we've got three fast because they couldn't read or write RP the spring. This isn't a good thing. So I really appreciate it for foundation could give me $250 for a type writer. Well, of course they were history. And I didn't realize that lots of hazardous representing the School of Medicine I received for and who is that? Mr. Richard Ross was survey accurately tease them to death on this. And I had gotten my electric typewriter, the dean secretary got her. But that's that's the sort of thing I meant by trying to grocery VD, the spaces and the administration and to do it with humor, right? Anytime you can make people laugh, they are happy to say yes. Particularly if it's something that makes sense, right? You're not pointing at how radiata the background is, just saying, right? Right. Okay. And Mr. Rosen, Chris Van appointed me. Good afternoon. Uh-huh. Yes.
About Doris Merritt
During her more than 25-year tenure at IUPUI, Doris Merritt’s influence extended campuswide. She was a woman of many firsts, becoming the first female assistant dean at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1962, and later serving as the first female dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, 1995–97.
Merritt and her husband joined the faculty of the IU School of Medicine in 1961. They had both previously held positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Merritt’s first job at the university was Director of Medical Research Grants and Contracts, but within a year, she was promoted to Assistant Dean of Medical Research. In this role, Merritt obtained millions of dollars for the medical school’s research and construction projects. In 1965, Merritt’s job description expanded to encompass all of IU-Indianapolis. She retained this role when IUPUI formed in 1969, and ultimately served as Assistant Dean of Research until 1978, when both she and her husband returned to NIH.
In 1988, following her husband’s death, Merritt returned to the IU School of Medicine as an Associate Dean. She quickly retained her reputation as an efficient administrator, willing to step into whatever role the university needed. That is how, in 1995, Merritt became the Dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, after the unexpected resignation of the school’s former dean. Merritt served as dean for two years, before filling another unexpected vacancy as Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. Merritt retired in 1998.
- Assistant Dean of Research, IU School of Medicine, 1962–78
- Associate Dean, IU School of Medicine, 1988–95
- Dean, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, 1995–97
- Associate Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, 1997–98
Born or Made?
“As I went through [various leadership] positions, I always did the best I could in [that] position... Because I did well, people asked me to do other things.”
Leaders Are Readers
“ [My high school English teacher] broadened my horizons enormously. She sent me a reading list, which I still have, that had everything from poetry to novels and plays to philosophy that she thought a young woman should read. I went through and read [her list], and I checked it off- except for A Pilgrim’s Progress, with the chapter on The Slough of Despond. She just opened the world a little bit to me in that way.”
