FIVE RECEIVE 1999 DIVERSITY ENHANCEMENT AWARDS AT OHIO STATE

   COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University has granted 1999 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Awards to five people, honoring the extraordinary efforts of an individual or group to enhance diversity at Ohio State.

   This is the 17th year for the program, which recognizes those who have worked to promote affirmative action and the rights of underrepresented groups. This year’s recipients have demonstrated a common desire to enrich the experiences of all Ohio State faculty, staff and students, as well as the surrounding community. Minority faculty, AIDS patients, elementary school students, and African American, Asian American, international and handicapped students, among others, have benefited from the vision and hard work of these awardees.

   Recipients were honored at a May 19 reception, where they received a plaque and a $500 honorarium. The University Senate Committee on Diversity sponsors the awards program in cooperation with the Office of Human Resources.

   Recipients are:

Andrea Balas of REYNOLDSBURG
graduate student and research associate in education

   Making others feel welcome is important to Andrea Balas. During her time as a graduate student in science and math education at Ohio State, Balas has consistently gone out of her way to ensure that all students are comfortable. “She was largely responsible for inviting and welcoming international students, and making them feel more ‘at home’ in Columbus,” wrote one nominator. Balas plays an important role for many new graduate students. “She provides them assistance in getting acclimated to the new environment and she looks out for them by providing them information with which to make informed decisions regarding their doctoral programs,” wrote another nominator.

   Balas also works to make the classroom a welcoming environment for all students. She has designed curricula to be used in informal settings for students who don’t learn well in traditional environments and has spent six years working with a Girl Scouts program to provide the girls with extraordinary experiences in learning math and science. Balas is also a volunteer in the Columbus and Reynoldsburg districts. For her efforts, Balas has earned the respect of her peers as well as the students she has mentored. “She not only represents herself well,” wrote a nominator, “but also serves as an advocate and role model for others who will experience graduate school somehow better by having experienced her.”

Erica E. Estep of COLUMBUS (43201)
residence hall director for housing and food services

   Erica Estep advocates for diversity, one person at a time. “I am thoroughly impressed by the numerous ways Erica seeks to have a special relationship with each individual she comes into contact with. I believe that this is the most powerful and pivotal way to enhance diversity,” her nominator wrote. Estep has formed many worthwhile relationships through her efforts to raise awareness of AIDS and HIV issues, her commitment to community service, her role as an adviser for three black student associations and her mentoring of students through the Office of Minority Affairs Retention Services.

   Estep donates her time to Project Open Hand, a community service agency helping individuals who have HIV or AIDS and People Living with AIDS by preparing and delivering nutritionally enriched whole-food meals. On campus, she has worked to implement “The Quilt” program within undergraduate and graduate halls. As an adviser for student associations, she has worked to enhance the leadership abilities of students and acted as an advocate for their needs and interests. Estep also has assisted students in making the transition from high school to college in her capacity as a mentor with Retention Services. “In each interaction she exhibits a genuine interest in their lives and the issues that they face here at Ohio State,” wrote her nominator. “In return, students truly respect and value Erica as a professional, a role model and a friend.”

Samuel R. Hodge of COLUMBUS (43211)
assistant professor of physical activity and educational services

   For Samuel Hodge, recruiting and mentoring minority students is a priority in his responsibilities as a professor. As his nominator wrote, “Despite the heavy demands on assistant professors to gain promotion and tenure at a Research One institution, Dr. Hodge gives generously of his time, counsel and expertise to a generation of young African Americans that he has helped attract to and retain at this campus.”

   He has worked with colleagues to obtain federal training grants to recruit minority students for master’s and doctoral programs in adapted physical activity and teacher education. He annually visits historically black colleges and universities to promote Ohio State’s programs, and he arranges for students to visit Ohio State. Hodge also works to encourage dialogue about diversity within the College of Education. He is a founding member of the college’s Grand Conversation forum this year, which encourages discussions about diversity among faculty. He also has conducted research on socialization and mentoring of African American faculty in higher education. At a personal level, Hodge works throughout the year advising students on personal and academic issues. “Dr. Hodge will continue to do this work regardless of public recognition as it is a personal and professional priority for him,” wrote his nominator. “He sets an example for all of us in the quiet yet systematic way he attends to this key mission of The Ohio State University.”

B Ulysses K. Li of COLUMBUS (43220)
associate professor of pediatrics

   Asian American medical students at Ohio State and across the country have benefited from efforts made by B Ulysses K. Li. Li has worked locally and nationally to raise awareness of the issues that Asian Americans face and to develop support systems that encourage dialogue within the Asian American community. Li is co-founder of the national Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, an organization which sponsors conferences, advocacy and community involvement. The national program is an outgrowth of Ohio State’s chapter. Li, according to one nominator, “served as a motivating force for the student founders of the chapter and provided the continuity of a faculty presence for the ongoing success of the organization.”

   At Ohio State, Li has developed and directed a Human Diversity Curriculum for all first-year medical students, which introduces students to diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, spirituality and alternative medicine. At Ohio State workshops for Asian American and minority students, Li has been an active participant, sharing his experiences as a minority physician and discussing the need for cultural competency towards diverse patients. “As a result of his work not only have Asian- Americans come to appreciate their own uniqueness in the medical community, but the medical community itself has come to recognize the benefits of that contribution,” wrote one nominator.

Michael L. Scott
associate professor of teaching and learning

   Diversity is a thread that is stitched throughout Michael Scott’s teaching, research and service activities. Scott has spent his career at Ohio State as an advocate for diversity -- by introducing multicultural elements into his syllabi, by recruiting minority teachers for the College of Education, and by serving on numerous committees which aim to enrich the diversity found on campus and the community. Scott’s scholarship has focused on vocational and career development of the handicapped, technology education, and minority recruitment and retention. “His academic interests in education for special needs population as well as minorities combines nicely to create a truly diverse approach to multicultural education,” wrote one nominator.

   He has been instrumental in helping the College of Education obtain government and private funding to increase diversity, including Ford Foundation funds used to recruit and retain minority teachers. In 1989, he initiated the college position of Minority Affairs Coordinator and served in that role until 1991. His committee work reflects his interest in diversity. Scott has served on University Senate subcommittees on minorities and women, and diversity, as well as the Urban Professional Development Academy and School Renewal, the University Retention Committee and the College of Education TLC Minority Teacher Recruitment Project Advisory Committee, among others.

Contact: Ned Cullom, Human Resources, (614) 292-4341