President’s Commission on Diversity
November 8, 2007
Room 306 Main Building
Minutes
Members Present: Chike Anyaegbunam, Druscilla Bakert, Mary Bolin-Reece, Lori
Gonzalez, Chester Grundy, Ibrahim Jawahir, Sara Jones, Jane Kirschling, Michael Lee,
Bob Mullens, Richard Sutphen, Lionel Williamson, Jeff Dembo, Karen Slaymaker,
Mahjabeen Rafiuddin, Lina Crocker, Gail Harrison, Sharon Taylor New, Chris Harper,
Allan G. Richards, Rakesh Kandibanda and Linda Rakes.
Members Absent: Bob Brown, Bessie Guerrant, Vanessa Jackson, Marilyn Lyons, and
Oscar Arevalo.
Welcome and Call to Order:
Allan G. Richards, Ed. D.
A flyer of upcoming events was included in the members’ folders and they were
encouraged to visit the PCD website as a “one stop” tool for campus wide events.
A process for requesting nominal funding for Faculty/Staff initiatives is now on the
website.
A magazine obtained from the Diversity Symposium Dr. Richards attended in San Diego
entitled “Strategy, Diversity and Inclusive Management” was passed around to the
members for their review as was a second magazine entitled “Urban League Diversity”.
Included in the members’ folders was a magazine entitled “Making a Real Difference
with Diversity” as given to the Commission by Provost Kumble Subbaswamy.
Drucilla Bakert was thanked for her willingness to chair the Graduate and Professional
Student Affairs committee although she will have to step down from this position due to
time restraints. Dean Jane Kirschling graciously agreed to fill this position of Chair on
this committee.
Approval of Minutes:
Allan G. Richards, Ed.D.
A motion to approve the October 15, 2007 minutes was made by Lina Crocker and
seconded by Lori Gonzalez. The minutes were approved by a unanimous vote with no
changes.
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By-Laws:
Allan Richards
The By-Laws Committee’s proposed changes and recommendations were presented to
the Commission for discussion and approval. Two additional suggestions/changes were
made to the By-Laws and they are as follows:
In Section III. Under Membership, item “F” to be changed to read, “A balanced
Commission membership should include consideration of at least the following:
(1) the current constitution of the Commission’s membership in terms of
diversity, administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni/ae and other persons
outside the community….
Section IV under Meetings, item “6. B” to be changed to read, “when a decision is
needed in less than 24 hours, the Chair shall have authority to render a decision
and shall report said decision to the Commission at the next Commission
meeting…. Delete (“If a decision is needed immediately, the Chair will post
emergency decisions electronically to Commission members and will take
feedback into account”.)
A motion was made by Jane Kirschling to approve the proposed By-Laws with the
changes as agreed upon. The motion was seconded by Druscilla Bakert. Motion carried
with a unanimous vote.
Provost Kumble Subbaswamy
Provost Subbaswamy addressed the Commission with his thanks and gratitude to the
members for their service, dedication and willingness to take on the work of the new
Commission and is looking forward to working with them.
Provost Subbaswamy spoke on the issue of diversity in the broad context. The first thing
to note on a fundamental level when one speaks of diversity is how we deal with people
who are different and/or a combination of same. How well diversity is dealt with in the
context of an educational institution helps to put in perspective and acknowledges from
the outset, diversity’s complex set of issues. In terms of diversity institutionally where
people from different backgrounds, views and perspectives come together, how does one
make the best of it? It becomes necessary to open everyone’s mind. Diversity is not
about minorities alone. Society has not yet come to a comfort level to address or talk
about the many differences among people. We seek an institution that embraces
diversity.
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is a self-reporting survey on
students and how the institution has helped them deal with and understand diversity in
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preparation for post graduate work and on into the community/society among other
issues.
The search for a Vice President for Institutional Diversity (VPID) is still open and
ongoing. It is hoped that in the near future, a slate of candidates will be presented for
interviews across campus. The VPID office will oversee and evaluate the campus wide
diversity issues. Making an institution inclusive is the job of everyone and not just one
individual or office. In the search process for VPID, the search committee is strong,
deliberate and very optimistic about choosing the best person for the job ahead.
Essence Summit
Jenisha Watts and Alise Marshall were recipients of a diversity initiative made possible
by the President’s Commission on Diversity. They attended the Essence Magazine
Summit in New York City. This summit was a national conference tailored for women
who are actively seeking to shape the world.
Jenisha Watts is a senior at UK majoring in Journalism. Alise Marshall is a senior at UK
majoring in Sociology with a minor in African American Studies. Both women
expressed their appreciation for the opportunity they were given by the Commission to
attend the Essence Summit in New York and spoke of the knowledge and experience they
gained from their participation there. They encouraged the Commission to continue
funding for further educational experiences for students to bring back to UK new ideas
and new ways of thinking about diversity.
Committee Chairs Report
Undergraduate and Professional Student Affairs Committee
Mary Bolin-Reece, Chair reported that this committee had met and has two future
meetings planned; one in November and the other in December. This committee will be
looking at the University Studies Program (USP) changes and how creating a campus
climate of diversity and inclusion can permeate UK in and out of the classroom. The
committee will also be surveying the campus climate. Dr. Richards has met and will
continue to meet with Dr. Connie Ray, Vice President for Institutional Research,
Planning, & Effectiveness, regarding a campus climate survey with the end-product in
mind and what student engagement should look like and how students will be better
equipped to function successfully in the global community.
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Engagement and Public Relations
Richard Sutphen, Chair reported that this committee had met and had discussed a broad
range of issues such as engagement and public relations for a better understanding. The
committee will be looking at other colleges strategic plans; old and new. The committee
will be assessing the engagement office for understanding indicators to see what works
and what colleges have prepared and what kind of indications will be used to look at
campus wide diversity issues. Currently the committee is gathering information for
perspectives and what direction to go in with the information gained.
Adjourn:
Allan G. Richards, Ed.D.
Meeting adjourned at 12:55pm.
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