Diversity UPDATE
SUMMER 2005
MESSAGE FROM MAC
Vice Provost for Minority Affairs
Dear Friends of Ohio State,
Each spring, the Office of Minority Affairs presents the William H. Watson Jr.
Memorial Award to individuals or groups who embody the ideals and personal
qualities of William H. Watson, a former associate dean of University College
and professor of agriculture education. This year, I am delighted to announce
that the recipient is Ohio State's own vice president for Student Affairs, Bill
Hall. Bill has been an effective advocate and leader on diversity issues
throughout his career and has been a consistent voice for and model of
commitment to diversity. His genuine concern for individuals and his commitment
to access, fairness, and opportunity for all have earned him widespread respect
from students and staff at Ohio State. Among his accomplishments, Bill has
partnered with my office to establish and fund the Multicultural Center,
incorporated diversity as a core value with the Student Affairs mission,
provided leadership to retain the tradition of the African American Heritage
Festival, and advocated for more than 20 years for GLBT rights, including
sponsored dependent benefits. There are programmatic ways in which Bill has made
a difference for diversity, but what we will never truly know is the range of
ways in which, one on one with individual students and staff members, he has
affected those individuals and made a difference in their lives. But we do know
that the list of those individuals would fill many, many pages. There are others
like Bill who continually advocate for progress on diversity issues at Ohio
State, and this issue of Diversity Update contains evidence of our advances.
Sincerely, Mac Stewart
University to Host First College Summit Workshop
The Ohio State University will host a college application and preparation
workshop for 40 Ohio high school students July 28-31. The workshop will be
conducted by College Summit, a national nonprofit organization, to assist
students from low-income families with admissions materials. Mac Stewart, vice
provost for Minority Affairs, said the College Summit event is the first of its
kind in Ohio and will provide students with a critical start in the admissions
process. "We are pleased to host this important effort on our campus," Stewart
said. "Navigating through the college search and selection process can be
complex and overwhelming. Ohio State is committed to assisting in every way
possible young Ohioans who want to pursue a college education." University staff
members and community volunteers will help students develop personal essays,
review admissions and financial aid forms and deadlines, discuss ACT and SAT
requirements, and provide college and career counseling. Students also will dine
and stay overnight in campus residence halls to familiarize themselves with
college life. Workshop participants are preselected by their local school
districts for their academic and leadership potential. Seventy-nine percent of
students from lowincome families who participate in the College Summit workshops
attend college, compared to the national rate of 46 percent. Stewart said that
the College Summit initiative will enhance Ohio State's own goals for diversity.
"The workshop is a welcome opportunity to showcase the many opportunities that
Ohio State has to offer to these talented students," he said. "The most
important part of this collaboration is that students receive the tools they
need to attend the college of their choice." The Ohio initiative was made
possible through the assistance of U.S. Representatives Deborah Pryce and Ralph
Regula.
Faculty and Staff Recruitment
Melissa A. Bellini has been named associate vice president for Facilities
Operations and Development. In her new position, she will oversee master
planning, space assignment, the University Architect's office, renovation and
construction, engineering, building services, maintenance and landscape
services, occupational health and safety, radiation and bio safety, utilities,
roads and grounds, and real estate operations. Bellini comes to the university
from her position as regional operations and facilities manager with the
Cleveland firm CH2M HILL, which provides engineering, construction, operations,
communications, security, environmental, and related services. At CH2M HILL, she
was responsible for the management of operational services for more than 1,200
staff in 23 offices in 13 states. She holds a bachelor's degree from Central
Washington University and a master's in public administration from LaSalle
University. She began her duties on July 1, following the retirement of previous
associate vice president for Physical Facilities Jim Stevens. Georgina Dodge has
been appointed assistant vice provost for Minority Affairs. Dodge will
coordinate diversity efforts on campus and in area communities and will, among
other projects, direct a diversity leaders group to identify opportunities for
collaboration, compile and produce an annual university diversity publication to
create awareness of initiatives and appointments at Ohio State, and continue
ongoing efforts to recruit and retain students. From September 2002 to April
2005, Dodge served as director of the Department of African American and African
Studies Community Extension Center, a conduit between the university and the
residents of Columbus. An expert in African American and multiracial literature,
Dodge was a faculty member in Ohio State's Department of English before joining
the center as director. She earned her bachelor's degree at the University of
California at Irvine and her master's and doctoral degrees in English at the
University of California at Los Angeles. In addition, Dodge is a member of the
Ohio African American Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, vice chair of the
university's Multicultural Center Advisory Council, and a member of the Board of
Trustees for Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio.
Student Recruitment and Retention
The College of Dentistry is offering a Dental Admission Test (DAT) Prep course
for minority students who are interested in the dental profession. The aim of
the program is to help minority students improve their performance on the DAT by
providing test preparation methods and materials. In addition to enhancing
test-taking skills, the program also includes activities that enable students to
experience firsthand what being a dental student and a dental professional are
about, as well as expand their knowledge of the dental profession. Students also
will receive instruction on completing admissions forms, excelling during mock
interviews, understanding the selection process, and obtaining financial aid.
The program is free of charge and is made possible for a limited number of
students through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Office of
Minority Affairs, and the College of Dentistry. The Office of Minority Affairs
has launched a campuswide survey of undergraduate, graduate, and professional
students of Asian descent to seek feedback regarding programs and the campus
climate for nearly 3,000 Asian Americans at Ohio State. The information is
considered crucial to make recommendations to Minority Affairs, other
administrators, and offices at the university that will better enable these
students to thrive on campus. Several university units are collaborating on
"Gidget," an initiative intended to reverse the chronic underrepresentation of
women in technology. Named for the 1960s television character Gidget--a little
girl with big ideas--the initiative's first efforts will be to create a pipeline
of information and support for girls that stretches from elementary school into
adulthood. Gidget will provide technology training and activities to girls
throughout their lifetimes with the hopes of creating a pool of successful and
qualified information technology professionals. Current partners in the
initiative include Women in Technology @ OSU, The Women in Computer Engineering
(TWICE), University District Extension,and TECH Corps Ohio. Recently, the group
invited key professionals from around campus to a Meet Gidget event and also
intends to start a listserv for sharing funding and programming ideas.
Additionally, it is pursuing grants from the NSF through a program called
"Broadening Participation in Computing"--which would help sustain TWICE--and from
the Women's Fund of Central Ohio for a proposal to increase the number of
elementary school computer clubs.
Academic Programming and Research
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has chosen WOSU as one of four public
broadcasting stations to participate in an internship program for minority
students. Co-sponsored by the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, the program places
minority students in media industry positions, providing them with opportunities
to learn aspects of corporate operations and develop company-specific skills.
The goal of the Emma Foundation is to create career opportunities for talented
young professionals of color. The foundation has approximately 175 students
actively participating in the program and just as many graduates. WOSU will
offer the chosen candidate a variety of work experiences, provide a mentor to
offer guidance and advice, and provide increasing levels of responsibility. The
candidate also will develop diverse knowledge while working in multiple areas of
the stations and will work at WOSU up to 10 weeks a summer for five consecutive
years. A new study of nearly 6,000 children suggests that black youths are more
than twice as likely to die from a traumatic injury as are white children.
Research indicates that trauma has a far greater impact on minority children
than it does on white children and that, as a group, black children have more
serious injuries. Black children are also two to three times more likely to be
admitted to the hospital because of a traumatic injury. However, when black and
white children are admitted to the hospital with equally severe injuries, they
have an equal chance of survival, spend about the same amount of time in the
hospital, and have equal access to rehabilitation services. According to the
study, part of the reason that black children may be more susceptible to serious
injury is due to their environment. The social and economic data indicate that
many traumatic injuries--particularly assaults and burns--correspond with the
severity of poverty. The study also suggests that prevention is the key to
keeping children safe from traumatic injuries, but that prevention campaigns may
have targeted geographic and social centers where African Americans or other
minorities are not broadly present. Although data were gathered from Ohio's four
largest minority groups--African American, Native American, Hispanic, and
Asian--the latter three groups made up a very small portion of the trauma cases.
The study's lead author was Jonathan Groner, a clinical associate professor of
surgery at Ohio State.
Leadership/Recognition
The 2005 Diversity Enhancement Awards were given to two individuals and two
departments for their commitment to improving diversity at the university and
exceeding expectations in implementing the Diversity Action Plan. J. Briggs
Cormier, doctoral student in the Department of Theatre, William J. Hicks,
clinical professor at the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, the Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science, and the Department of
Theatre all were honored for their efforts to enhance diversity. The awards
program is sponsored by the University Senate Committee on Diversity in
cooperation with the Office of Human Resources and is in its 23rd year. The 12th
Wexner Prize was awarded to leading American choreographer Bill T. Jones. The
$50,000 annual prize is given to a contemporary artist who has been consistently
original, influential, and challenging to convention. Jones is among America's
pre-eminent dance makers and is known for his wit and elegance and often
socio-political approach to issues of gender, race, and sexuality. The Wexner
Center's crossdisciplinary International Arts Advisory Council nominates the
recipients, who are approved by the Wexner Center Foundation Board of Trustees.
Pat Enciso, a professor of teaching and learning, has been selected chair of the
Trustees of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Research
Foundation for a three-year term. A national organization since 1911, NCTE is
devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts
at all levels of education. The Fisher College of Business hosted its fourth
annual Diversity Business Awards Program and Alumni Reception to show
appreciation for corporations and individuals who have worked with the college
on diversity initiatives. Allen A. Boston, partner and director of campus and
diversity recruiting for the Office of Minority Recruiting at Ernst & Young LLP,
delivered the keynote speech at the event that honored Key Bank and Deloitte and
Touche. Rosemary L.M. Hill, director of Engineering Career Services, recently
received the J.W. Paquette Superior Leadership Award. In a field typically led
by men, she received this annual award because she is "an active Midwest ACE
member who has made consistent and significant professional leadership
contributions." In addition to three separate terms on the Midwest ACE Executive
Board and chairing the Engineering College Group, she has contributed to
multiple committees and task forces during more than 25 years of professional
involvement.
Access for the Disabled
The American Sign Language (ASL) Literature Digital Media Project presented "An
Evening of ASL Story- Telling" in May. The public performance, presented
entirely in ASL, coincided with a series of workshops that were conducted by
national leaders as well as entertainers in the field. The goal of the ASL-DMP
is threefold: 1) to create a web magazine for the dissemination of ASL
literature; 2) to mentor new ASL scholars, ASL performers/artists, and digital
media technicians/producers who are, whether deaf or hearing, interested in ASL
teaching or scholarship so that they might assume leadership roles in the
further production of such ASL literature texts; and 3) to produce a how-to
guide for the broader public about the creation of such texts so that people may
produce and publish ASL literature of their own. The College of Education
recently held its 10th Annual Diversity Forum and Graduate Student Symposium.
The theme for this year's event was "Fostering Greater Inclusiveness for
Students with Disabilities," featuring keynote speaker Dr. Paula Kluth, an
independent educational consultant and adjunct instructor at National-Louis
University in Chicago. Kluth's professional and research interests center on
differentiating instruction and on supporting students with autism and
significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms. The daylong event concluded
with a fireside chat, giving attendees a chance to talk with Kluth. Mark
Wellman, a paraplegic rock climber, gave a presentation titled No Barriers to
faculty, students, and staff during a program co-sponsored by the Office for
Disability Services and by Adaptive Recreational Sports. Wellman spoke about his
life-threatening climbing accident that resulted in paraplegia and gave a
climbing demonstration using the latest in adaptive climbing equipment at Ohio
State's new Adventure Recreation Center.
Awareness
The 27th annual African American Heritage Festival was celebrated May 1-7 at
Ohio State with the theme Kisima: Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul. The goal of
the Heritage Festival is to engage the university community in a celebration of
African American heritage and culture, and this year focused on the long-term
benefits of mental and physical wellness. "Kisima" means "well" in Swahili.
Student organizers collaborated with the Soul Flower Group Foundation, Inc., a
nonprofit organization that focuses on health issues prevalent in the African
American and Latino communities. Diabetes was the focus of the Town Hall Forum,
and Ohio State health professionals and students led a discussion about the
disease that affects 11.4 percent of African Americans and 8.2 percent of Latino
Americans age 20 or older. The weeklong festival also included a gospel music
fest, fitness run/walk, and step show. The President and Provost's Diversity
Lecture and Cultural Arts Series' final two events featured Mari Matsuda,
professor of law at UCLA, who presented Public Education: Call It Public Trust,
and Paul Kwami who directed the production, An Evening with the Fish Jubilee
Singers. A total of 12 lectures, performances, and discussions were presented
throughout the academic year as a part of the series, intended to provide
information and thoughtful discussion on a wide range of topics.
Outreach Activities
The College of Optometry is planning an expansion of its outreach programs in
the Columbus area with the future addition of vision services to La Clinica
Latina, a health center for Hispanics, and collaboration with the colleges of
Dentistry and Medicine to establish vision services in the German Village area,
providing care to populations of Somali, Hispanic, and Appalachian patients. The
college currently provides outreach services to homeless shelters, nursing
homes, and schools. Research associate MariCarmen Lambea has joined the Latino
community outreach effort in the College of Human Ecology, Department of Human
Nutrition. Lambea, a physician from Mexico who has a master's degree in public
health from Ohio State, is now working with assistant professor Hugo
Melgar-Quinonez and postdoctoral research associate Ana Claudia Zubieta on
applied nutrition research projects to address the local Latino community's
needs. Lambea is in charge of coordinating collaboration projects with the
Latino community and agencies working with that population group in Ohio. Her
outreach and engagement proposals aim to create a statewide network of agencies,
programs, and community initiatives. It's All About Health is a monthly radio
program about cancer and other health concerns in the African American
community. Hosted by Dr. William Hicks, oncologist and co-director of the
Diversity Enhancement Program at Ohio State's James Cancer Hospital and Solove
Research Institute, the show airs on 106.3 FM in the Columbus listening area.
During the June 4 broadcast, Hicks and guests discussed sickle cell anemia,
those it affects, the Adult Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program at the James, new
drugs and treatments, and the Bellamy Midwest Sickle Cell Conference that was
recently held in Columbus.
Purchasing
The Minority Business Bulletin, a new quarterly publication from the
university's Office of Business and Finance, is now available and is part of a
concerted effort to heighten awareness, increase access, and build business
relationships with the minority business community. Ultimately, the goal of the
newsletter is to develop a model or prototype that could benefit other
university units in their efforts to increase purchases from minorityowned
firms. A copy of the publication can be found online at http://ibuy.osu.
edu/PDFs/mbb_sp05.pdf.
Office of Minority Affairs
102 Bricker Hall
190 North Oval Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
