WKU Presents Annual Spirit Of WKU, Diversity Awards

September 14, 2007


Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University President Gary Ransdell presented the annual Spirit of WKU and diversity awards Friday morning at the faculty and staff convocation.

Dr. Carl Kell, communication professor, received the sixth Spirit of WKU Award, which recognizes an individual who represents enthusiasm for WKU, loyalty to the institution and principles of the WKU experience and its motto “The Spirit Makes the Master.”

Dr. Kell, who has taught at WKU for 35 years, is legendary for his passion and commitment to students and to the profession of communication. He founded the Spirit Masters in 1980 and served as the group’s adviser until 2003. He was a founding member of the Medical Center 10K Classic and served as executive director of the Bowling Green/Warren County International Festival from 1990-95.

Recipients of the seventh annual President’s Awards for Diversity were Dr. Jane Olmsted, employee; Ameerah Cetawayo, student or organization; and Maxine Ray, community. Each recipient represents a clear demonstration of exemplary leadership and achievement in promoting diversity at WKU and the communities it serves.

Dr. Olmsted received the employee diversity award for her work to promote diversity among faculty, staff and students. A professor in the English Department and director of the Women’s Studies Program, Dr. Olmsted has been active in Black History Month celebrations, headed an English Department committee to address diversity and launched a summer camp for low-income women and their children.

Cetawayo, a graduate student, received the student diversity award. She is an African American woman, who was raised Muslim, converted to Christianity as a teenager and speaks Spanish and Japanese. While at WKU, Cetawayo helped revitalize Minority Communicators in the School of Journalism and Broadcasting, participated in journalism workshops for minority students, was an Honors program graduate, worked for the student television newscast and interned with the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission. She is the business reporter for the Daily News and a weekend/fill-in anchor for WKCT-AM.
 
Ray received the community diversity award. A folklorist and historian with the Jonesville Community Awareness Project, Ray created a scholarship in memory of Jonesville that will be issued by the Folklore Department. She is working on a manuscript about the history of blacks in Warren County and is conducting interviews to document the history of other counties in Kentucky. She was a contributing author for the “50 Years of Integration” commemorative book, serves on the committee for the Shake Rag revitalization project, is vice president with New Era Planning and is president of the Center for Community and Family Initiative, a mentoring program for children.
               
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