HHS at 15: Former Dean Ladisch reflects on the founding of Purdue Health and Human Sciences

Christine Ladisch in 2018.(Charles Jischke)

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu

Words used to describe Christine Ladisch during her eight-year term as dean of Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) include dream dean, Wonder Woman, Energizer Bunny and servant leader.

A Purdue alumna (MS ’75, PhD ’78), Ladisch began her career as a visiting assistant professor in the consumer sciences and retailing program. She steadily climbed the academic ladder — associate professorship in 1985, full professorship in 1993, associate dean in 1996, department head in 1999 and inaugural dean in 2010.

How to create a college

In 2009, Ladisch joined a team that was taxed by then-Provost Randy Woodson to create a platform where health-related programs across campus could more seamlessly work together. The outcome, a proposed realignment of nine academic departments into a college, was linked to Purdue’s broader New Synergies initiative to meet the challenges facing humanity, create opportunities for Indiana and the global economy, and enhance student learning for success in a changing world. Ladisch’s experience as Purdue’s associate provost (2001-05) and then-vice provost for academic affairs (2005-10) was key in setting up the new College of Health and Human Sciences.

“There are a lot of silos and barriers to collaboration that nobody intends, but they’re there when you’re in different colleges,” Ladisch explained.

It took eight intense months of team meetings, townhalls and input from department heads for the HHS concept to emerge.

“The idea of the college actually bubbled up from the faculty conversations, which I think is a phenomenal thing because so many of these major reorganizing kinds of decisions, often they’re top-down. And this was not, which I still marvel at it,” Ladisch said. “I’m so proud the college has been in existence now for 15 years.

“It was built solidly. Oh, things change. We have a new department that’s been created (Public Health) and one that no longer exists (Department of Consumer Science). But the concept of this college is still strong, and it’s been tested a number of times in recent years, but it’s still there. So that really speaks well to how it was put together. And yes, I had to lead this task, but wow, the people that worked on it, I mean, they really believed in it. … It’s a big source of pride for me and for those who worked with me on this.”

‘A healthy separation’

Ladisch stepped down from the HHS deanship in 2018. After a sabbatical, she returned to the HHS faculty reinvigorated. She found inspiration in the then-new Department of Public Health and lent her academic expertise to its young faculty members.

“I wasn’t quite ready to just go cold turkey retirement,” Ladisch remembered. “I saw that this group of hard-working, talented, public health-focused faculty could probably use somebody with gray hair, somebody that knew their way around the workings of a university. … I very much enjoyed the few years I spent with them — again, sort of being the sage with gray hair and helping with promotion and tenure, getting young faculty ready for that process.”

After all, on behalf of the provost, Ladisch oversaw tenure and promotion at Purdue during her years as vice provost.

“I feel that even though I didn’t directly have public health training, hopefully people look at my time with them as being very helpful,” she concluded.

Some deanship advice

Aaron Bowman was hired as an HHS department head under Ladisch in 2018. Bowman was named the third dean of the Purdue University College of Health and Human Sciences (HHS) on Feb. 10. He had been serving as interim dean since Nov. 1, 2023.

“He’s very talented, and I am delighted that he is now our third dean of the college,” said Ladisch. “I think our future is bright with him.”

Like Bowman, Ladisch was an internal candidate for the HHS deanship. She remembered the double-edged sword of being an internal candidate.

“(Bowman and I) talked personally about what it’s like to be an internal candidate for a very visible position, especially one that’s going to have a national search,” Ladisch recalled. “In some ways, you have an advantage because you know the place. And in other ways, you have a big disadvantage because people know you. They know your strengths, but they also know what aren’t your strengths. You’ve got to have a lot of internal fortitude to go through it. And he did, and he was successful, and bravo to him.”

Ladisch offered some leadership advice too.

“Pay attention to the people in the college,” she said. “Pay attention to what they need, not only professionally, but in some ways personally. How do they feel about their job? Is it a good place to work? Pay attention to the people at all levels. Because if you do that, people will respond. People will follow you; people will respect you. People will do their very best work.”

Settling into retirement

Ladisch retired from Purdue at the start of 2024. As some would expect, she is not one to be inactive, even in retirement. She was given sage advice to not “overcommit” during those early months, but she has since felt more at ease a year after finishing her tenure at Purdue.

“Now, I’ve committed to doing some things for myself, things I never had time to do with a full-time job, raising a family and all that. So, I have truly enjoyed some travel time with grandkids, more physical activity than I’d ever been able to take time for. And I have engaged in some volunteer activities, which are really fun,” Ladisch said. “I think probably the last one I’ll mention is taking some time to cultivate existing friendships and make some new ones — all these things you just feel like you don’t have time for when you’re fully engaged in your work life.”