Official Reports on Ohio State Diversity Issues

The Ohio State University Diversity Updates

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.

The Ohio State University Diversity Updates

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