In her nearly two decades at Indiana University, professor and administrator Caroyln Gentle-Genitty wore an IU pin on university business. On non-university business, she wears a different pin—one emblazoned with the words, “Making a Difference.”

That phrase summarizes how Gentle-Genitty has measured her professional impact across a career in social work scholarship and higher education leadership. It also captures what drives Gentle-Genitty as inaugural Dean of Founder’s College at Butler University, the two-year college that will launch in August 2025 to increase access to higher education for historically underserved students.

Serving as Founder’s College Dean culminates a lifetime of youth-serving work, from her place as the eldest of five in a low-wealth family, to her years leading youth programming as a staff member, consultant, and volunteer.

“At Butler, I get to do both—make a difference and do University business—because it’s what I’ve been hired to do,” says Gentle-Genitty, who began the job on June 3. “In this role, I get to show up as who I am.”

Paving her own path
Gentle-Genitty’s journey to Butler began in her hometown of Belize City, Belize, where she was born to parents who emphasized the value of learning. They worked long hours operating a food cart and canteen, and Gentle-Genitty helped care for four younger siblings.

She recalls meeting with her siblings’ teachers so she could support them in school—an experience that proved valuable to Gentle-Genitty as she charted her own educational path.

She attended one of the country’s top all-girls private high schools, followed by earning her associate’s degree at a two-year college, which she paid for through campus employment and waitressing.

It was during her two-year college experience that Gentle-Genitty met the president of Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, where she would enroll to complete her undergraduate and master’s degrees.

Though she initially pursued law, she switched to social work in her second undergraduate semester after an admission counselor saw her light up around the topic of helping others. Her experience as a first-generation student deepened her understanding of the obstacles around higher education access. Gentle-Genitty paid for her undergraduate education through work-study and covered her master’s with a promissory note.

After graduating with her master’s, she returned home to lead the YMCA of Belize. A former professor from Spalding recruited her to pursue her doctorate at Indiana University, which brought Gentle-Genitty and her husband to Indianapolis in 2004.

Though she planned to go home after completing her doctorate, a 2008 election upended life in Belize and Gentle-Genitty’s plans. She instead moved into a visiting professor role at IU, and a year later moved into assistant professor tenure-track, where she advanced to full professor on the IU Indianapolis campus.

Over the years, Gentle-Genitty took on a variety of roles, from leading IU’s School of Social Work bachelor’s program and more than doubling its enrollment, to pioneering online education, overseeing academic policy and programs, improving transfer policies, and representing her institution at the state and national levels.

Creating a “family culture”
Last November, Gentle-Genitty had returned to IU after a yearlong leadership training fellowship when she received an email from a Butler recruiter. They were looking for a dean for their new two-year college. When Gentle-Genitty started researching Butler and Founder’s College, she became intrigued about the possibility.

“I saw a commitment to always push the dial to make a difference for people,” she says. “I fell in love, and my prayer literally to God was, ‘if this is your prayer like it is mine, let it be.’”

Butler’s team selected Gentle-Genitty for the role in March. Brooke Barnett, Butler’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, says throughout the interview process, those who interacted with Gentle-Genitty saw her passion and desire to build community.

“We knew we were looking for a dean who had it all and were so lucky to find that in Dean Gentle-Genitty,” Barnett says. “She is a teacher, scholar, mentor, gifted administrator, and leader. And she brings a passion for supporting students.”

Just a week after her selection, Gentle-Genitty was already formulating a vision for the type of “family culture” she wants to create—centered around ensuring Founder’s College students experience the sense of belonging that Butler desires for all undergraduates.

“Founder’s College is the heart of Butler’s mission,” she says. “Butler’s team was warm and welcoming to me from the moment I stepped on campus. I want Founder’s College students to have that same experience.”