COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University will launch several initiatives this academic year as the university embraces its Diversity Action Plan and sets an agenda for the first phase of implementation.

"The message we want to deliver is that this great university can become even greater by aspiring to the highest standards of community," President William E. Kirwan and Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray said in a memo to the university community. "We can be a place where all persons will be valued and respected -- and feel valued and respected. These are our expectations, and we ask you (the university community) to join us in making them reality."

The evidence regarding the need for change is clear and compelling, Kirwan and Ray said. Principles that must guide Ohio State's actions include:

· The diversity of the student body and the success of all students must be a key component of the plan.

· A diverse faculty and welcoming classroom climate are crucial to the success of these efforts.

· Academic programs must advance knowledge and understanding of the challenging issues associated with diversity.

· Progress towards a campus that fully welcomes difference will depend upon the ability of each individual to respect the diversity of others.

· Listening, as well as speaking, is essential when discussing issues raised in promoting diversity.

· Progress must be steady.

Key to the success of the university's diversity efforts is the establishment of a Diversity Council, Kirwan and Ray said. The council, which will be charged to develop a timetable for implementation of the Diversity Action Plan, will guide and monitor progress and serve as a key focus of the university's ongoing efforts to enhance the campus environment.

Carole Anderson, dean of the College of Nursing and co-chair of the committee that produced the Diversity Action Plan, will serve as the first chair of the new council. Officials will call for nominations to complete the council's membership during autumn quarter.

In addition, leaders of academic and vice presidential units have been asked to undertake a diversity project from the Diversity Action Plan, and administrators and units will be held accountable for implementing their plans and contributing to the university's progress toward its diversity goals.

Several other initiatives are planned this academic year in response to the Diversity Action Plan. Among them are:

· The President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series, which will bring 16 nationally recognized experts to campus this year.

· The provision of 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.

· The commitment of $500,000 in new funding for scholarship programs, including funds for transfer students, designed to enhance Ohio State's diversity profile.

· Reassessing the criteria for accessing funds from the Faculty Hiring Assistance Program, with the goal of facilitating hiring of faculty at senior ranks beginning this year.

· Establishment of a multicultural center in the Ohio Union and a charge to develop the concept for operation of the center.

· A set aside of $600,000 for programs to improve retention and pre-enrollment programs for minority students that can be implemented for the 2001-02 academic year.

· A set aside of $102,000 in continuing funds and $83,000 in one-time funds for the Office of Human Resources to closely monitor the recruitment and retention of minority and women employees, and for employment law and sexual harassment training for leaders and supervisors.

· The commitment of $73,000 in continuing funds and $23,000 in one-time funds to promote access for persons with disabilities through Student Affairs and the libraries.

· The allocation of $31,000 in continuing funds for a proactive education program promoting understanding and respect for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons.

· The allocation of $1.5 million in cash and endowment funds from the Coca-Cola pouring rights contract to support innovative academic and student initiatives related to diversity.

"This list is not exhaustive; it is illustrative of our commitment to make significant progress in the short-term and, more importantly, over the long-term," said Kirwan and Ray. "Even a casual review of this list reveals that there is a combination of incentives and mandates, carrots and sticks. It is critical that the university's expectations related to diversity goals be clear and the consequences for failure to pursue goals earnestly will be widely known and effectively applied."

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