DIVERSITY
Byars leads school’s diversity initiatives Minority students constitute roughly 16 percent of enrollment at UNC’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and six full-time faculty members are racial or ethnic minorities. Women make up 36 percent of the faculty. According to the 2000 census, minorities accounted for 24.9 percent of the U.S. population, while women made up 50.9 percent. In fall 2007, 28 percent of undergraduates and 31 percent of graduate students at UNC were minorities. Seventeen percent of the University’s faculty were nonwhite. The school’s commitment to diversity in its teaching, research and public service missions was underscored with the recent appointment of assistant professor Queenie Byars to coordinate diversity initiatives. Byars is a school alumna who also graduated from the Air War College and Air Command and Staff College. She served as a lieutenant colonel and public affairs officer for the U.S. Air Force, being honored with the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Air Force’s Meritorious Service, Commendation and Achievement Medals. She co-founded Creative Communication Works, a public relations consulting firm in Virginia. “We are identifying opportunities for the school to increase diversity, whether it’s in the courses we teach, the guest speakers we invite, or the professional development programs we offer,” said Dean Jean Folkerts. “Queenie Byars has the knowledge, experience and the drive to expand our reach within diverse communities.”
Queenie Byars
Tiffany White
In July, Byars and master’s student Tiffany White attended the Unity ’08 Convention in Chicago. Earlier this year, they attended the 10th Annual National HBCU Newspaper and Media Conference in Baltimore, Md., where they recruited diverse candidates for the school’s master’s and doctoral programs. Students at the conference participated in 42 workshops and seminars over four days. Media professionals, educators and government officials spoke about how to inspire, teach and mentor students. Among the 21 historically black colleges and universities represented at the event were Florida A&M University, Norfolk State University, Southern University, Tennessee State, Howard University, the University of the Virgin Islands, Bennett College, N.C. A&T University and N.C. Central University.
“ The essence of the
diversity we seek is not something that can be captured simply in policy or numbers...it is intangible; it deals with the spirit, with the culture of the campus.” Former UNC Chancellor James Moeser UNC published its first diversity plan in fall 2007 to tie diversity ideals to the University’s vision as a leading public institution. The plan grew out of work from the Chancellor’s Task Force for Diversity and a report from the Chancellor’s Minority Affairs Committee. “The essence of the diversity we seek is not something that can »
Tiffany White and Queenie Byars at the HBCU conference in Baltimore.
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CAROLINA COMMUNICATOR
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