KNOWLES NOMINATED AS VICE PROVOST FOR MINORITY AFFAIRS

   COLUMBUS -- Timothy S. Knowles, vice president for student and campus support at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., has been nominated by Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost, to the position of vice provost for minority affairs at The Ohio State University. The appointment, pending Board of Trustees approval, is to take effect Aug. 1.

   Knowles has held teaching and administrative positions in higher education for more than 30 years at both historically Black and other public universities and private liberal-arts colleges.

   “Throughout his career, Dr. Knowles has demonstrated his commitment to increasing minority students’ access to higher education and to developing programming with excellent recruitment and retention results,” Ray said. “He understands that diversity promotes excellence. During the on-campus interview process, Tim also showed a clear grasp of the issues we at Ohio State face as we strive to enhance services provided to minority students and to build a more diverse community.”

   Knowles has served as vice president for student and campus support since 1996 at Meharry Medical College, the nation’s largest private historically Black institution exclusively dedicated to educating health care professionals and biomedical scientists.

   He began his career in 1968 at San Jose State University as director of the Educational Opportunity Program for Black Students. Since then, he has held numerous positions, including director of the Educational Opportunity Program at the University of California, Irvine, and assistant vice chancellor for academic support services and associate professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for 11 years. He also has held vice presidential posts for academic and student affairs and for student development.

   A frequent speaker on issues affecting minority students, Knowles’ current memberships include the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Student and Minority Affairs Group, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Nashville Chapter of the NAACP. He served as an American Council on Education Fellow in Academic Administration in 1984-85.

   Knowles holds master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts; his dissertation research focused on improving management of special minority student support programs. He also earned a master’s degree in education with emphasis on student services and a bachelor’s degree in physical education and mathematics, both from San Jose State University.

   As vice provost, Knowles will oversee all functions of the Office of Minority Affairs, which include the Frank W. Hale Black Cultural Center, minority scholarship services, recruitment and development, the Upward Bound/Minority Research Initiative, and the Young Scholars program, Ohio State’s initiative to encourage and prepare underrepresented minority youth from low-income families to attend four-year colleges and universities.

   “I will urge the new vice provost to continue the Student Advisory Council and seek other ways to include consultation with student, staff, faculty, and community constituents in any future efforts to reorganize the administration of OMA and its programs,” Ray said.

   Barbara Rich, who has served as interim vice provost for two years, will complete her term on June 30. Mac Stewart, associate provost for undergraduate studies and dean of University College, will supervise OMA in July.

Contacts:
Edward Ray, Academic Affairs, (614) 292-5881
Isaac Mowoe, search committee chair; African-American and African Studies, (614) 292-0160
Timothy Knowles, (615) 327-6212 (available at his office Monday, 6/21)