The Ohio State University
Diversity Update - Autumn 2000

Prepared by the Office of University Relations

I. Faculty/Staff Recruitment

1. Vernon Baisden is the new assistant vice president for public
safety. Formerly the director of campus safety at Keene State College
in New Hampshire, Baisden earned a degree in law enforcement
administration at Wayne County Community College in Detroit, a
bachelor's degree in education at the University of Hartford, and a
master's degree in criminal justice at the University of Detroit.

2. Donna Browder Evans is the new dean of the College of
Education. She formerly was dean of the Darden College of Education
at Old Dominion University. Evans earned three degrees from Ohio
State: a bachelor's degree in elementary education, a master's degree
in counselor education, and a Ph.D. in counselor education and
educational administration.

3. Chris Igodan is the new director of the Agricultural
Technical Institute and associate dean of the College of Food,
Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Formerly an administrator
and teacher at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa, Igodan
earned his doctoral degree from Ohio State and his master's and
bachelor's degrees in agronomy from Northwest Missouri State
University.

4. Kenneth Moncayo is the new assistant vice president of
operations in the Department of Physical Facilities. Moncayo comes to
Ohio State from the U.S. Navy. He holds master's and bachelor's
degrees in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of
Technology, as well as a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point, NY.

5. Ilee Rhimes has accepted the position of Chief Information
Officer effective November 15, subject to the approval of the Board
of Trustees. Rhimes currently serves as Vice Chancellor for
Information Technology and CIO of City Colleges of Chicago. He holds
a bachelor's degree from Governors State University at University
Park, IL, and a master's degree from Miami University in Oxford, OH.

II. Student Recruitment/Retention

1. The associate vice president for enrollment services and the
vice provost for minority affairs have begun to collect and monitor
data on recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of minority
students compared with rates for all students. The data will be used
to suggest methods for improvement. Approximately $600,000 has been
set aside to implement programs in the areas of retention and
pre-enrollment during the 2001-02 academic year.

2. The university has committed to the creation of a
multicultural center in the Ohio Union and has established a
committee to develop the concept for the center's operation.

III. Academic Programs

1. Ohio State has provided seed funding for the creation of an
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.

2. $500,000 in new funding has been authorized for scholarship
programs, including funds designed to increase diversity among
transfer students.

3. $31,000 in continuing funds has been allocated for a
proactive education program to promote understanding and respect for
gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people.

IV. Leadership

1. A diversity council has been established and Carole Anderson,
dean of the College of Nursing, will serve as its first chair. The
council will help guide and monitor progress made toward the goals
outlined in the Diversity Action Plan, and will develop a timetable
for implementation of recommendations in all University plans
concerning diversity, including the Diversity Action Plan and those
of the Affirmative Action Committee.

2. $102,000 in continuing funds and $83,000 in one-time funds
have been set aside for the Office of Human Resources to collect
affirmative action data for faculty positions and for training for
leaders and supervisors in employment law and sexual harassment.

V. Awareness

1. The new President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series,
targeted to diversity topics, was launched September 26 whenVincent
Tinto, Distinguished Professor of Education at Syracuse University,
delivered a lecture on "Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student
Attrition." This series, scheduled for the 2000-01 academic year,
will bring 16 nationally recognized experts to campus to address
issues of interest to the University community. Frank W. Hale Jr.,
vice provost emeritus for minority affairs and consultant to the
president, has organized the series and secured co-sponsorship of
each speaker by one or more University units with special interest in
the topic. Speakers will discuss such topics as strategic student
recruitment, legal issues, and student retention. More information
can be found at http://www.osu.edu/diversity.

VI. Access

1. $73,000 in continuing funds and $23,000 in one-time funds
have been committed through Student Affairs and University Libraries
to promote access for people with disabilities.

view Autumn 2001 Diversity Update

© 2000 The Ohio State University.
Comments concerning this site can be directed to diversity@osu.edu