Diversity UPDATE
Vice Provost for Minority Affairs
Message from Mac
August 2003
Dear Friends of Ohio State,
As you know, the U.S. Supreme Court recently issued opinions in the two affirmative action cases involving the University of Michigan. Even though the outcomes of the rulings were mixed, I am very pleased that the Court affirmed the rights of universities to create a diverse student environment. Today, I would like to share some additional reactions about these rulings from both President Holbrook and myself.
In her remarks to the university Board of Trustees during their July meeting, President Holbrook affirmed Ohio State's commitment to diversity with the following:
"What does this mean for Ohio State? First and foremost, it means that we can and will continue to pursue our diversity goals with passion, energy and commitment. It means that we are entitled to continue to consider race and ethnicity in selecting among qualified applicants. In so doing we will continue in our successful preparation of citizens and leaders who will have obtained their education in classrooms and seminars and laboratories and student activity centers where a range of experiences, opinions, value systems and ideas are exchanged, questioned, challenged and respected."
As I added in a statement on the day of the ruling, The Ohio State University was created by a great act of federal legislation, and we have always lived within the law of the land. As the law changes, we will continue to live within the law. We believe that the strategic leadership documents of Ohio State -- the Academic Plan and the Diversity Action Plan -- are consistent with our land-grant heritage and with the tradition of valuing diversity that we have built over the years. We will continue to value diversity, although the precise ways in which our policies may need to be modified are as yet unclear. I am confident that our core values will not change and that our commitment to diversity will increase as the State of Ohio becomes increasingly diverse in the decades to come."
In order to be in compliance with the full ruling of the Supreme Court, we are now carefully considering each element in our admissions process. This may lead us to modify our current practices but I am entirely optimistic that Ohio State will continue to build a diverse community of students. As always, I'll close by asking you to review this publication and share it with your colleagues.
Sincerely,
Mac A. Stewart
Vice Provost
Griffin to Lead Alumni Association
Archie Griffin, one of Ohio State's most recognized and respected graduates, will become the next leader of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc. Griffin will take office as President and CEO on Jan. 1, 2004, replacing Dan L. Heinlen, another campus leader, who will retire on Dec. 31. Heinlen has spent 38 years with the Alumni Association, the last 30 at its helm.
One of the greatest running backs ever to play college football, Griffin was awarded the Heisman Trophy in consecutive years, 1974 and 1975, the only player to ever claim the award twice. "The choice is masterful, and I could not be more delighted with the selection," Heinlen said. "Archie was a tremendous athlete, but his meaning to Ohio State goes far beyond what he did in his playing days." "What attracted me to this position was my passion for Ohio State," Griffin said. "I've had the opportunity to travel coast to coast and visit with a lot of alumni clubs and thousands of alumni and see their passion for Ohio State. I look forward to continuing the work that Dan has started. This is a great opportunity for me." Griffin said he is excited about working closely with alumni. "People make the difference," he said. "Their love of the University is very visible on football Saturdays and at basketball games. But as I have traveled around, I can see their passion not only for sports but for the University as a whole."
Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook was also delighted by the announcement. "We are thrilled to have Archie Griffin heading our Alumni Association," Holbrook said. "He is a beloved and admired Ohio State legend, and his involvement in community initiatives across the state represents the finest characteristics of the Buckeye spirit. Furthermore, through his work as associate director of athletics, he has demonstrated the skills to manage and lead a large organization. This outstanding appointment will ensure that Archie will stay connected to Ohio State."
Currently associate director of athletics at Ohio State, Griffin has long been an ambassador of goodwill for the University and for the community as a whole. "My nickname for Archie is Ôthe Flag'," athletics director Andy Geiger said. "He is the Ohio State symbol in so many ways. His affability, his approachability, and his accomplishments have meant a great deal to this University and to the Department of Athletics in so many ways."
Student Recruitment and Retention
Nearly 250 10th-,11th- and 12th-grade minority students participated in the Young Scholars Program's Samuel Dubois Cook Summer Academy over the summer. President Holbrook welcomed the Scholars to the two-week event, encouraging them to follow their dreams, work hard, and take advantage of every opportunity. An initiative of the Office of Minority Affairs, the Young Scholars Program was developed in 1988 as a statewide model to increase the number of African-American, Latino/Hispanic-American, Native American, and Appalachian students who are prepared to do well in degree programs at four-year institutions of higher learning. Ohio State expects to welcome 352 Scholars as admitted students to campus this autumn quarter.
Dr. Mac Stewart, vice-provost for minority affairs, hosted a luncheon to celebrate the academic successes of some outstanding minority students who have accumulated numerous honors and awards while at Ohio State.
-Christopher Alverez-Breckenridge (far left), a junior, won a Goldwater Scholarship this year and also was voted as having the Best Sophomore Research Project at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum this spring.
-Ebun Taiwo (second from left), who graduated in three years, was an institutional nominee for the Marshall Scholarship and a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Ebun is planning to attend law school in autumn 2004 after spending a year studying in France.
-George Wang (center) was a winner of the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and is bound for graduate school at Stanford.
-Cullen Buie (far right) was a winner of a Goldwater Scholarship last year and a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Award winner this year, as well as a semi-finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. Cullen also will attend graduate school at Stanford.
Faculty and Staff Recruitment
Pearl Bigfeather has been named chief of staff and special assistant to the president and serves as a member of the president's Cabinet. Bigfeather joined the university May 19 from the University of Georgia, where she was assistant vice president for academic affairs, working with vice presidents, deans and directors to coordinate budgets and programs. Before her position at Georgia, she was executive assistant for financial affairs in the Office of Research, Technology and Graduate Education at the University of Florida and Financial Director for the University of Florida Research Foundation Inc. At the University of Florida she served as a member of the task force to review and rewrite the university's patent policy, and was a member of the development team that created the North Florida Technology Innovation Corp. Bigfeather also is president of the Society of Research Administrators International. She holds an accounting degree from the University of New Mexico and recently completed the Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration at Bryn Mawr College.
Mellasenah Morris was appointed director of the School of Music, effective Aug. 1, 2003. Morris has spent the past 11 years as director of the School of Music and professor of piano at James Madison University in Virginia, where she was heavily involved in new program design, collaborations with other university departments, and increasing facilities for music and other art programs. As a performer, Morris has appeared in recitals on university campuses and in professional venues throughout the East Coast, Midwest, and in London. Prior to joining James Madison, she was dean of the School of Music at Alabama State University. She has bachelor's and master's degrees in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and a DMA in piano performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.
The College of Dentistry has employed Dramatic Diversity, a theater-based company specializing in diversity training, to provide a unique way for the college to raise diversity awareness. Dramatic Diversity, a troupe comprised of professional actors and writers that represent many different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and religions, presented to the college administration as well as members of the Diversity Committee and Faculty Council at a recent training session. Prior to the session, Dramatic Diversity interviewed 18 faculty and staff and conducted two focus groups to provide an environmental assessment that became the foundation for its consultation with the college. From this assessment, Dramatic Diversity provided a preliminary report on the diversity climate at the college, including specific recommendations for change. Dramatic Diversity is in the process of creating a customized interactive program that will be presented to a larger college audience this fall. OHIO Project director, Dr. Canise Bean, and Dentistry's Director of Diversity, Dr. Michael Rowland, coordinated the diversity training as part of the college's plan to recruit minority faculty and students.
Academic and Research Programs
The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy has announced a new diversity workshop through its management advancement program series. Titled "Diversity: Inclusion, Consciousness, Integrity, and Ethics," the workshop objectives are to share the broad definitions of diversity, understand the organizational imperatives of effectively handling diversity, and increase individual comfort zones in workplace interactions. The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) will join five other cancer centers around the country in a unique public-private initiative to bring more patients--especially more minority and elderly patients--into early-stage clinical cancer trials. This is the first time major pharmaceutical companies have joined with federal partners to quicken the pace and broaden the base of clinical trial investigations. Ohio State's Department of African-American and African Studies Community Extension Center is expanding on its mission to serve as a conduit between the university and the community. In addition to computer literacy classes, the Center will soon offer two programs for area youth: a week-long residential summer camp for high school students and a new 4-H program. The Center was recently awarded a $3,000 neighborhood grant from the Columbus Compact Corporation to finance the newly formed Near East 4-H Club.
The Nisonger Center has established a book club and literacy program for adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The "Next Chapter Books Club" is designed to provide opportunities for social interaction around literacy experiences. Under the direction of Tom Fish, Ph.D., the program is a collaborative effort between the Nisonger Center, the English department, Borders Bookstores, and the Franklin County Board of MR/DD. Book Club meetings are held weekly at Borders Bookstore.
U.S. Treasurer Rosario Mar’n, the highest-ranking Latina in the Bush administration, visited The Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Spanish-language financial literacy course. The first foreign-born U.S. Treasurer, Mar’n learned about the Latino Financial Literacy Program through the Ohio Credit Union Foundation, which sponsors this free educational service along with Columbus-based credit unions OhioHealth, Telhio, and Western. The foursession, four-week course was first offered in 2002 to help central Ohio's growing Hispanic population become more educated about personal finance. In the program's pilot year, more than 225 individuals from 12 Latin American countries attended at least one of the classes, and 53 percent completed the course and graduated. Developed by Nieto, the course curriculum covers budgeting, setting financial goals, establishing and maintaining good credit, and gaining access to financial products and services.
Leadership/Recognition
Tami Longaberger, vice chair of the University Board of Trustees and President and CEO of the Longaberger Company, was the keynote speaker at a recent meeting of chief diversity officers from the academic and corporate world. The three-day conference, "Framing the Issues: Diversity, the Academy, and the Workforce," was jointly sponsored by Ohio State's Office of Minority Affairs and the American Council on Education's Office of Minorities in Higher Education. The purpose of the conference was to grapple with ideas related to diversity and how higher education and the corporate world might come together. Longaberger told the nearly 100 attendees that education is the foundation of diversity. "We believe that each of us has a responsibility to help ensure diversity and opportunity in our companies, our communities, and in our country. We call it doing the right thing. And nothing can do more to promote diversity and opportunity than education."
President Holbrook also delivered remarks at the conference and discussed the fundamental link between diversity and the educational mission. "Diversity adds to the learning experience, expands classroom examples, and improves communication and understanding as well as the sharing of different life experiences," Holbrook said. "In our institution, it is everyone's responsibility to foster a climate of respect; increase and retain individuals with diverse backgrounds, lifestyles, and cultures; to expand multicultural education; and to communicate our goals and our educational value of diversity."
Brenda Jo Brueggemann, associate professor of English, has been appointed to the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees. Brueggemann, who has done extensive research on disability issues and has won numerous awards for her work, is the author of Lend Me Your Ear: Rhetorical Constructions of Deafness. She is director of the First-Year Writing Program, co-coordinator of the American Sign Language Program, and co-coordinator of the disability studies minor. Brueggemann received her Ph.D. in 1992 from the University of Louisville in English/rhetoric and composition.
Access for the Disabled
The College of Human Ecology presented free community mini-workshops on the concept of Universal Design. Ohio State students and Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents described home features that allow easy accessibility for all ages and abilities. Held at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses, the workshop presenters explained the advantages of such features as lever handle on doors and faucets, touch panel locksets, and ramps.
Stephen Kuusisto, assistant professor of English, traveled to Graz, Austria, to participate in a performance titled "The Emptiness Between The Stars." The performance was part of a yearlong series of lectures and performances that were not billed as a "project for the disabled," but as a project addressing the methods and strategies of "hindering and preventing" in daily life, society, and art. The multimedia piece, authored by Wolfgang Temmel and Norbert Math, was inspired by Kuusisto's poetry, and included Kuusisto reading his poems as part of the performance.
The Jerome Schottenstein Center (JCS) and the Ohio School for the Deaf recently joined in a collaborative work placement program designed to integrate deaf students into jobs in the hearing world. The process included teaching the students how to handle an interview, communicate with their employers in terms of attendance, how to handle an evaluation, and how to function and work in a hearing environment. The Ohio School for the Deaf placed four students (some receiving their first-ever paychecks) and JSC staff were able to learn basic sign language and expose both full-time and part-time staff to the deaf world.
