Humanities Faculty Spotlight:

University Diversity Enhancement Winners Selected

The University Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Awards recognize individuals or groups who have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity at Ohio State and to exceeding expectations in implementing the Diversity Action Plan. Professor of English Frederick Aldama and the Department of History's Faculty of Color Caucus were among the 2008 awardees.

This program rewards efforts to enhance diversity on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran or military service status, gender identity, economic status, political belief, marital status or social background. The University Senate Committee on Diversity sponsors the awards program in cooperation with the Office of Human Resources.

Recipients were honored with a plaque and a $1,200 honorarium at a spring luncheon during the Office of Minority Affairs' ninth annual National Conference on Diversity, Race, and Learning.

Since joining the English Department three years ago, Aldama has worked continually to enhance and encourage diversity both in the department and across the university. One nominator wrote "His commitments to supporting ethnic and racial diversity go well beyond one group, informing all aspects of his research, teaching, and service." The myriad of activities he's engaged in, include: serving as co-organizer of the College of Humanities Minority Faculty Mentoring program; serving as co-coordinator of the Ohio State Faculty of Color Caucus; and serving as a Faculty of Color Mentor.

The Department of History's Faculty Color of Caucus (FCC) is comprised of nine minority faculty members: Leslie Alexander, Alcira Dueñas, Lilia Fernández, Derek Heng, Hasan Jeffries, Ousman Kobo, Ahmad Sikainga, Mytheli Sreenivas, and Judy Wu. This group includes scholars of African, American, Asian and Latin American history from both the main and regional campuses and is an entirely volunteer organization. The FCC has made substantial contributions to diversifying the faculty and student body as both an organization and by the activities of its individual members. According to nominators, "The organization's members have all given considerable service to the issue of diversity at OSU and nationally. In fact, every diversity initiative in the College of Humanities and throughout the university has benefited from their participation,"

As a group and as individuals, they have participated in numerous campus events designed to recruit and retain a diverse student body; demonstrated a commitment to community outreach through a number of public appearances at both the local and national level; and provided a forum for faculty of color to collectively mentor each other. The group has been praised as "an exemplary model of an organization that is even greater than the sum of its parts."