The Ohio State University
Diversity Update - Autumn 2001

Prepared by the Office of University Relations

I. Faculty/Staff Recruitment

1. Kenneth Goings is the new chair of the Department of
African-American and African Studies in the College of Humanities.
Goings holds a bachelor's degree in education from Kent State
University and a master's and Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has
twice won the Outstanding Book Award on the subject of human rights
from the Gustavus Myers Center for his books, Mammy and Uncle Mose:
Black Collectibles and American Stereotyping (1994), and The
N.A.A.C.P. Comes of Age: The Defeat of Judge John J. Parker (1990).
He has also held faculty positions at the University of Memphis in
Tennessee, College of Wooster, Rhodes College in Memphis, and
Atlantic University in Boca Raton.

2. Minnie Holmes-McNary, a molecular biologist specializing in
research on nutrition and cancer, joined the Department of Human
Nutrition in the College of Human Ecology as an assistant professor.
Holmes-McNary received dual bachelor's degrees (biology, and
pathology and clinical/laboratory sciences) from the University of
Illinois at Springfield and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received attention
in the national media last July with publication of her study in
Cancer Research on why resveratrol, a dietary component found in
grapes and grape products, has anticancer and anti-inflammatory
properties. In her new role, Holmes-McNary will teach undergraduate
and graduate students, and will also conduct interdisciplinary
research at the Comprehensive Cancer Center.

3. Elizabeth R. (Betty) Lenz, one of the nation's experts on
doctoral nursing education, is the new dean of the College of
Nursing. Lenz's research interests have focused on the health of
families, and include extensive study on beginning families,
parenting, maternal health and infant development,
post-hospitalization resources, and the impact of major illness,
surgery, and recovery on the family. Prior to joining Ohio State,
Lenz held faculty positions at Columbia University, Boston College,
Georgetown University, University of Maryland, and the Center for
Nursing Research at Pennsylvania State University's Milton S. Hershey
Medical Center. Lenz earned a bachelor of science in nursing from
DePauw University, a master of science in public health nursing from
Boston College, and her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of
Delaware.

II. Faculty and Staff Appointments

1. Jacqueline Royster, associate dean in the College of Humanities,
was selected to serve a two-year term as chair of the President's
Council on Women's Issues, a new council that will advocate for the
development of policies that positively impact the environment for
all women at Ohio State. The group will be instrumental in
identifying issues critical to the environment for women, advising
the president and provost on strategies to meet or surpass national
best practices regarding the institutional climate for women, and
setting the direction and priorities for The Women's Place. Royster
has also been selected as the winner of this year's MLA Mina P.
Shaughnessy Prize for her book Traces of a Stream: Literacy and
Social Change among African American Women. The prize is for
"outstanding innovative research publication in the field of teaching
English language and literature."

III. Student Recruitment and Retention

1. The new Multicultural Center, a significant initiative of Ohio
State's Diversity Action Plan, opened on October 3. Housed on the
fourth floor of the Ohio Union, the Multicultural Center will serve
as a venue for discussion, networking, and relationship building, and
will be a clearinghouse of information for Ohio State students,
faculty, staff, and the public. Christine Ballengee-Morris is the
interim director and will bring her own personal experience as an
Appalachian-Cherokee-American to the center, which is intended to
promote greater cultural awareness and understanding.
Ballengee-Morris is an associate professor of art education at the
Newark campus and also serves as chair of that campus's Cultural
Diversity Committee.

2. The Office of Student Affairs developed and implemented the Campus
Climate for Diversity Survey. 4,000 students were surveyed and
reports were generated in seven different areas: Diversity
Experiences in the Classroom; the University as a Welcoming
Environment; Experiences with Discrimination and Harassment on
Campus; Attitudes Related to Diversity; the Impact of Campus
Diversity on Student Learning and Development; the Availability, Use
and Effectiveness of Support Services; and the Experiences of
Underrepresented Students. This data provides the baseline against
which future successes in achieving diversity goals will be measured.

3. Larger numbers of academically able minority students were
recruited to the university. Contributing to this increase were
visits by the president, provost, and vice provost to major Ohio
cities; increased interaction with black ministers; and a call-in
conversation between prospective minority students, President Kirwan,
and Vice Provost Stewart.

4. The Fisher College of Business MBA Program recruited twice the
current number of African-American students to its Class of 2003.
Additionally, at its first-ever Minority Visitation Weekend,
approximately 71 percent of the participants committed to attend the
Fisher College.

IV. Academic Programs

1. Ohio State is actively seeking a director for the Institute for
the Study of Race and Ethnicity in the Americas, an interdisciplinary
program sponsored by the colleges of Humanities, Law, and Social and
Behavioral Sciences. The institute is supported by contributions from
the Office of the President, the Office of Academic Affairs, the
Office of Research, and all colleges participating in the institute.

2. For the fourth year in a row, the College of Education received
funding from the Ohio Department of Education for Project TEACH,
which supports students of color in M.Ed. programs.

3. The Office of Academic Affairs is compiling the Multicultural
Course Inventory, a listing of all courses - at both the graduate and
undergraduate levels - with content related to diversity or
multiculturalism. The booklet is expected to be completed in time for
winter-quarter registration.V. Leadership/Recognition

1. The American Political Science Association awarded a book by
William E. Nelson Jr., professor of political science and
African-American and African Studies, the 2000 Best Book Award on
comparative racial and ethnic politics. SUNY Press published Nelson's
book, Black Atlantic Politics: Dilemmas of Political Empowerment in
Boston and Liverpool, which focuses on black politics in both Boston
and Liverpool.

VI. Awareness

1. Eleven distinguished speakers are scheduled to address issues of
multiculturalism in the 2001-2002 President and Provost's Diversity
Lecture Series at Ohio State. The series offers thought-provoking
examinations of multicultural education, gender roles in the
workplace, the histories of the American Indian and Disability Rights
movements, battered women, growing up gay, and issues facing Jewish
Americans.

VII. Training/Education

1. The Office of Human Resources recently presented its first-ever
Financial Planning for Domestic Partners Workshop as part of its
Financial Education Series in recognition that there are unique
challenges for domestic partners and the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender community when it comes to financial planning. The
workshop is designed to offer this audience a better understanding of
available financial options and insight into how to protect their
financial well being.

VIII. Access

1. The ADA Coordinator's office inaugurated an annual conference,
Multiple Perspectives On Access, Inclusion and Disability.
Approximately 300 representatives of government agencies, advocacy
organizations, and private companies gathered to discuss such topics
as rights and responsibilities, building access, and advocacy. The
collaborative nature of the conference is reflected in the partners that
joined Ohio State in presenting the conference: ADA-OHIO, the city of
Columbus, Great Lakes ADA Business and Technical Assistance Center,
Columbus chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Columbus
Advisory Committee On Disability Issues, Governor's Counsel On People
With Disabilities, John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public
Policy, and the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission.

2. Unity - A Perfect World for Students With Disabilities, a new
student organization, was founded by students with disabilities to
provide a support network, increase awareness, and assist Ohio State
in maintaining and improving a welcoming and friendly environment.
Unity held a reception on April 5 to recognize 34 faculty and staff
organization members felt had made Ohio State more welcoming and
accessible for all students.

IX. Minority Purchasing

1. Purchasing participated in the All Ohio Minority Trade Fair, which
brought together public- and private-sector buyers with minority
suppliers to exchange information and possible contracts. Purchasing
also sponsored the Ohio regional meeting of the National Association
of Educational Buyers, the theme of which was "Diversity, Inclusion,
Collaboration and Team Building." Highlights of the program included
a keynote speech by Dr. Bertice Berry, a supplier exhibit fair in the
Ohio Union, and a session targeted at minority suppliers on how to
conduct business with Ohio State.

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