February 26, 2001

WKU To Recognize Efforts To Advance Diversity

Bowling Green, Ky. - Efforts to advance diversity at Western Kentucky University will be recognized later this year with the President's Award for Diversity.

The award is an initiative of the University Diversity Committee, a 16-member group that works to ensure Western meets state-mandated diversity objectives.

The award will recognize and reward a WKU student or organization, a WKU employee or a member of the community served by WKU for contributing leadership and achievement in advancing diversity.

Each winner will receive $1,000. The deadline for nominations is March 16.

"Western contends that diversity among faculty, staff and students will be an integral element in the transformation of WKU to one of the best comprehensive universities in the nation," said Dr. John Hardin, co-chair of the University Diversity Committee. "To do that, we must show that we welcome all academically prepared students, engage in significant research and provide public service to citizens in our service area."

Winners of the President's Award for Diversity are expected to be announced this fall, Dr. Hardin said.

"The Diversity Awards reaffirm President Gary Ransdell's continuing support for this goal that is also a part of the University's Challenging the Spirit strategic plan," he said.

The awards initiative is one of many activities of the University Diversity Committee, which developed from an ethnic relations task force in 1998.

"What we're trying to do as a committee is to continue the work set in place by previous co-chairs Howard Bailey, associate vice president of Student Affairs, and Dr. John O'Connor, head of the Psychology Department," said Dr. Hardin, who also is assistant dean of Potter College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

The diversity committee "makes sure Western in on task" to meet objectives established by the Council for Postsecondary Education, the Office of Civil Rights and the University's Challenging the Spirit strategic plan, he said.

All facets of campus from the administration to academic college to student services must be aware of the goals and objectives that include African American enrollment and retention, six-year graduate rates, graduate student enrollment and employment issues, Dr. Hardin said.

"Our goal is to make sure Western does know what to do in terms of students, make sure the institution is making a forthright and fair effort to recruit minorities for faculty and staff positions and recruit Kentucky undergraduate and graduate students seeking degrees," Dr. Hardin said.

Results of Western's efforts to meet those goals are evaluated each year by the CPE.

A tutoring program that began in 1998-99 has been successful in keeping students in school, said Dr. Monica Burke, committee co-chair and assistant director of Minority Student Support Services. "The results have been astronomical," she said. "If their grades improve, they stay in school."

The tutoring program isn't just for minority students and has become one of the more diverse groups on campus, she said.

Diversity among students, faculty and staff is critical to making the Western experience more valuable, Dr. Hardin said. "We think this is a very good opportunity for Western students to experience all types of culture, tradition and heritage," he said.

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