ANNUAL REPORT 2014 - 2015 1
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY
Diversity is Good for Everyone...
Administration OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS (OAA) Stuart Bell, Ph.D., Executive Vice President & Provost
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY (OoD) |www.lsu.edu/diversity Dereck J. Rovaris Sr., Ph.D., Vice Provost for Diversity & Chief Diversity Officer Kenya LeNoir Messer, Ed.D., Associate Vice Provost for Diversity Tarchia Rankins-Lollis, M.S., Administrative Assistant 5 Vincent Harris, Ph.D., Graduate Assistant
Office of Multicultural Affairs | www.lsu.edu/oma Chaunda Allen Mitchell, Ph.D., Director Thuong Nguyen, M.S., Coordinator, Cross-Cultural Student Affairs LaKeitha Poole, M.S., Coordinator, African American Cultural Center Tucker Berry, Safe Space Campaign/LBGTQ Project Jalisa Jones, Graduate Assistant
Women’s Center | www.lsu.edu/wc Summer Steib, M.A., Director Kristin Satterlee, Graduate Assistant
ABOUT US: Enhancing diversity at LSU is a core institutional value. The Office of Diversity (OoD) is a division of the Office of Academic Affairs committed to fostering inclusive educational opportunities and an equitable workforce environment at LSU. OoD provides leadership to ensure that diversity is a vital component in all decisionmaking processes on all administrative, academic, budgetary, and strategic planning fronts. To that end, OoD ensures that LSU as a whole is actively recruiting and supporting a diverse student body while simultaneously recruiting and supporting faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. OoD is also responsible for supervising and guiding professional units whose purpose and mission is to promote understanding and respect for difference. These units include the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the African American Cultural Center, and the Women’s Center. Similarly, OoD works closely with University committees, commissions, task forces, and affinity groups whose charge is to support underrepresented LSU community members.
CONTACT US: Telephone: 225-578-5736 Fax: 225-578-5980 Email: diversity@lsu.edu
2014 - 2015 Office of Diversity Annual Report Kenya LeNoir Messer, Ed.D., Editor Adria Terry, Assistant Editor and Art Director Tarchia Rankins-Lollis, Editorial Assistant and Data Coordinator Jim Zietz, Cover Photography LSU Office of Diversity’s Annual Report is published annually in cooperation with the Office of Academic Affairs by Louisiana State University. Mailed from Baton Rouge, LA, under Nonprofit Standard Mail authorization. As the flagship of the state, the vision of Louisiana State University is to be a leading research-extensive university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. Designated as a land-, sea-, and space-grant institution, the mission of Louisiana State University is the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts.
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….Sharing Our Story LSU President, F. King Alexander, Ph.D.
MESSAGES
Executive Vice President and Provost, Stuart Bell, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer, Dereck Rovaris Sr., Ph.D.
Diversity Training
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LSU Diversity Statement Diversity Statistics
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COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY
Most Diverse Freshman Class in History HEED Award LSU Diversity Ad
HIGHLIGHTS National Diversity Advisory Board Homecoming King and Queen
Office of Multicultural Affairs African American Cultural Center Women’s Center
OoD UNITS SPOTLIGHT
SPECTRUM
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COLLEGE & DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS
STEM Alumni Connect
School of Veterinary Medicine
College of Agriculture
School of the Coast and Environment
University College
College of Science
McNair Scholars Program
College of Engineering & BMLI
African & African American Studies
College of Music and Dramatic Arts
College of Art & Design
International Programs
E.J. Ourso College of Business College of Human Sciences and Education College of Humanities and Social Sciences LSU Press Student Spotlight
30 OoD FINANCIALS 3
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
Dr. F. King Alexander President
Our Vision
LSU is committed to enhancing diversity through our students, faculty, and staff. That’s not just something we say – it is part of our DNA, driving what we do at every level of this great university. The enclosed annual report demonstrates some of our most recent achievements, which represent the hard work, leadership, and dedication of our Office of Diversity. Over the last year, we have welcomed the most diverse student body LSU has ever had and also graduated more African American and Hispanic students than ever before. These achievements demonstrate our attentiveness to every aspect of the student experience, ranging from increasing the accessibility of higher education through outreach initiatives to improving our students’ completion rates through academic support services and engagement opportunities. In short, LSU’s efforts to promote academic excellence, enhanced personal growth, the development of strong leadership skills, and community engagement have built a campus environment that embraces individual differences while being respectful and inclusive of all. I trust you’ll enjoy this document and the efforts it represents.
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Diversity is Good for Everyone‌
Dr. Stuart Bell Executive Vice President & Provost
Leadership
As LSU embarks on another year of record-breaking success, I would like to commend the Office of Diversity (OoD) and its new leadership, as well as our faculty and staff for remaining on an upward track in our commitment to diversity and inclusion on campus and beyond. Services and programs in equity and diversity are critical as LSU strives for excellence in all that we do. The OoD annual report demonstrates, in a very engaging fashion, the immense pride LSU has in improving diversity for everyone. It also demonstrates the creative methods our colleges and departments incorporate to support students, faculty, and staff members who have been historically and structurally excluded. Our commitment to diversity is unwavering and remains a key pillar of our strategic plan. The university has made significant progress in this area and has welcomed some of the most diverse freshmen classes in history to our campus over the last several years. Our progress in broadening the cultural diversity of our community has flourished, and this diversity report will present an encouraging view of the great benefit of fostering diversity on campus.
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Diversity is Good for Everyone‌.
Dr. Dereck Rovaris Sr. Vice Provost for Diversity & Chief Diversity Officer
New Beginnings
A new name and new leadership for the Office of Diversity was ushered in during the 2014-15 academic year. My tenure as Vice Provost for Diversity began in July of 2014, which coincided with the recent change in name from the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Community Outreach to the simplified Office of Diversity (OoD). In March of 2015, we welcomed the newest member of our team and the first Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Dr. Kenya LeNoir Messer. Coming to us with a wealth of higher education leadership and development experience, Dr. Messer has begun a new development and fundraising campaign that promises to help support the many current initiatives of the OoD as well as several new ones that include diversity faculty lines and student assistance funds. A new commitment was introduced to better support our existing programs, to better utilize our National Diversity Advisory Board, and to build on our recent successes in student diversity. The latter was witnessed with record numbers of underrepresented minorities enrolled in the entering Class of 2018 and record numbers graduated in the Class of 2015. We also saw a historic homecoming coronation, as Chi Nguyen and Bradley Williams became LSU’s first Asian American queen and second African American king, respectively. Elected by their peers, this was clear evidence of the positive effects of diversity on campus. A new Faculty Search Training workshop was created and shared with each of the colleges. This training was designed to help faculty search committees create more diverse pools of candidates in an effort to increase faculty diversity. Additionally, collaborative efforts on campus led to the inaugural LA STEM Alumni Connect aimed at bringing some of our most accomplished alums in the sciences back to campus in hopes of recruiting them as members of the faculty in the near future.
New challenges also have been a part of this academic year, ranging from dealing with homophobic banners displayed outside of a fraternity house to student protests over national reactions to police brutality and hate speech. These and other challenges were met head on as LSU’s existing commitment to diversity is strengthened. It has been another year of new beginnings. A year filled with new leadership, new programming, and a renewed commitment to achieving the diversity that this great university deserves. In the pages that follow we share a snapshot of the work of a university that not only recognizes but also celebrates the notion that diversity is good for everyone.
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Diversity is Good for Everyone‌
New Diversity Search Training
Enhancing Faculty Diversity: A Search Committee’s Role in Creating Effective Searches
In the fall of 2014 the Office of Diversity in conjunction with staffers from the LSU Office of Human Resources Management created a new workshop to help increase faculty diversity. Dr. Rovaris along with Liz Johnson compiled information to be included in a power point presentation that could then be shared via workshop with each individual college and in some cases individual departments. Workshops were also conducted for a panel of deans and other administrators to demonstrate how LSU could more effectively recruit faculty of color. Dr. Rovaris and HRM staffing partners conducted more than a dozen trainings over the course of the fall and spring semesters. Topics covered included, how to create a diverse pool, where to advertise for diverse candidates, proactive recruitment strategies, recognizing bias, and creating a diversity advocate on each search. The trainings were well received and have sparked quite a bit of interest and discussion. The training workshops will continue beyond this year. An online format will be available in the fall of 2015. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/
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‌.is Good for Everyone LSU DIVERSITY STATEMENT Diversity is fundamental to LSU's mission and the University is committed to creating and maintaining a living and learning environment that embraces individual differences. Cultural inclusion is of the highest priority. LSU recognizes that achieving national prominence depends on the human spirit, participation, and dedicated work of the entire University community. Flagship 2020 will be realized by bringing together diverse ideas, perspectives, skills, and talents of the nation's pre-eminent scholars, brightest students, and leading higher education professionals. Through its Commitment to Community, LSU strives to create an inclusive, respectful, intellectually challenging climate that embraces individual difference in race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, spirituality, socio-economic status, disability, family status, experiences, opinions, and ideas. LSU proactively cultivates and sustains a campus environment that values open dialogue, cooperation, shared responsibility, mutual respect, and cultural competence– the driving forces that enrichs and enhance cutting-edge
research, first-rate teaching, and engaging community outreach activities.
Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common.
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Graduate Student Diversity Data
2014-2015 Diversity Statistics
Undergraduate Resident V. Non-Resident Ethnic Minority
17% (837)
80.8%
V. 19.1%
U.S underrepresented groups
White
57%
Undergraduate Student Diversity
International
23% White/Non-Hispanic
Black or African American
(25,557)
11.5%
Unknown American Indian/ Alaska Native
Two or More Races
5.8%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
U.S. underrepresented groups: Black/African American, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Two or More Races
2.4%
(484)
Ethnic Minority
19%
U.S. underrepresented groups: Black/African American, Asian , Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/ Alaska Native, Two or More Races
(1,428)
1.8%
2.4% (121)
Faculty Diversity Data
(2,934)
International
(1,137)
Unknown
74.1%
Hispanic or Latina/o
(2,779)
Asian
3.7% (963)
International/ Unknown
(628)
White
5%
76%
For more information visit www.lsu.edu/diversity 9
Diversity is Good for Everyone‌
LSU Welcomed Its Most Diverse Student Body African-American Students: There was a 5.8 percent increase at the undergraduate level, a 5.9 percent increase at the graduate level and a 5.8 percent increase overall. African American students represented 11.5 percent of total student body.
The number of first generation freshmen was up to its highest point since LSU began tracking this statistic more than 5 years ago.
“High quality high school students from across Louisiana and the country are choosing LSU for their college careers, and we are committed to providing them with exceptional, affordable and accessible higher education,� LSU President, F. King Alexander.
Demographically, LSU saw its largest proportion of overall minority enrollment at the university. The numbers of Asian, African-American, Hispanic and students identifying themselves as two or more races increased at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Asian Students: There was a 13.2 percent increase at the undergraduate level, a 12.1 percent increase at the graduate level and a 13.1 percent increase overall. Asian American students represented 3.7 percent of total student body. Hispanic Students: There was a 14.7 percent increase at the undergraduate level, a 11.9 percent increase at the graduate level and a 14.4 percent increase overall. Hispanic students represented 5.8 percent of the total student body.
CLASS OF 2018
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Diversity is Good for Everyone…
Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award
Enhancing diversity at LSU is a core institutional value. LSU received the 2014 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity, or HEED, Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine – the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education – making it the third year in a row that the university was named a HEED Award recipient. LSU’s Office of Diversity oversees the diversity efforts of the university and is a division of the Office of Academic Affairs. Both offices are committed to fostering inclusive educational opportunities and an equitable workforce environment at LSU. The Office of Diversity is also responsible for supervising and guiding professional units whose purpose and mission is to promote understanding and respect for difference. The Office of Diversity assists administrators, deans, department chairs/heads and directors in identifying and implementing policies and procedures to increase diversity in their respective areas. The office also assists in building rapport among people who are different and reducing resistance to diversity initiatives. It provides evidenced-based principles and “best practices,” which strengthen knowledge, awareness, and skills for working and learning in a diverse, educational community.
“In 2013-14, the Office of Diversity helped LSU achieve impressive gains in diversity that included graduating the largest classes of African Americans, Hispanics and female students in the history of LSU,” said Vice Provost for Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer Dereck Rovaris Sr. “We also had record numbers of students from underrepresented populations in our freshman class, with students from those groups making up 27.3 percent of the entering class.” “LSU also has been recognized as the nation's leader in granting chemistry Ph.D.s to women and students from underrepresented groups. This type of success does not just happen. Many dedicated individuals made it happen,” he added.
As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, LSU was featured along with 83 other recipients in INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s November 2014 issue. For more information visit www.insighttodiversity.com
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Diversity is Good For Everyone……
Full Page Ad in the Daily Reveille
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Diversity is Good for Everyone…
National Diversity Advisory Board
Mapping for Diversity Through Preparation, Dereck J. Rovaris Sr., Ph.D., ex-officio member Vice Provost for Diversity & Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Diversity
It’s who we are.
Comprised of national industry leaders, the LSU National Diversity Advisory Board (NDAB) provides a broad array of talents and expertise to advocate diversity on campus. The common goal is to foster diversity and inclusion on campus and drive the mission and vision of diversity to faculty, staff, students and neighboring communities all in support of the advancement of LSU. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/diversity
Kenya LeNoir Messer, Ed.D., ex-officio member Associate Vice Provost for Diversity, Office of Diversity
Todd Schexnayder, ('81), Senior Vice President, Blue Cross Blue Shield of LA, Baton Rouge, LA
William "Bill" Brigman, Senior Policy Analyst for U.S. Department of Defense Credentialing and Licensing Task Force, SOLID LLC, Washington D.C.
Walter Bonam, Associate Director, Archdiocese of New Orleans, Office of Religious Education New Orleans, LA
Andrew Hollenbach, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
Roderick Teamer, (’85), Director of Business & Metro Development, Blue Cross Blue Shield of LA, Metairie, LA
Julie Morial Cruz, M.D., M.P.H., Market Medical Director, Peoples Health, Baton Rouge, LA
Christine Bruneau, Attorney, Cotton, Schmidt & Abbott, LLP, New Orleans, LA
Beloita Parquet Hawkins, ('91), Human Resources Manager, Shell Chemicals, Houston, TX
John Paul Funes, (’92), President/CEO, Our Lady of the Lake Foundation, Baton Rouge, LA
Katherine Rasy Grainer, ('99), ('02), Budget Administrator, Louisiana Department of Education, Baton Rouge, LA Monica Leach, Ed.D., (‘91), Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, North Carolina Central University, Durham, N.C. Patrick McCune, ('03), ('08), Associate, Adams & Reese, LLP, Baton Rouge, LA Mario Garner, Ed.D., (’02), Chief Operating Officer, New Orleans East Hospital, New Orleans, LA Lois Smyth, Administrative Compliance Officer, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Baton Rouge, LA Carolyn Hill, Louisiana Department of Education, BESE (Elected Official), Baton Rouge, LA
Jaimee Pangburn, ('97), ('10), Community Advocate, New Roads, LA David Sickey, Vice Chairman, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, Elton, LA Mark Goodson, ('04), ('06), Project Manager, CB&I, Baton Rouge, LA Stephanie M. Possa, ('99), Partner, Tyler & Possa Law Firm, Baton Rouge, LA Jyric Sims, ('05), Chief Operating Officer, Tulane Medical System, New Orleans, LA
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Diversity is Good for Everyone‌
LSU Celebrates Diversity during Homecoming
A Royal Night...
President F. King Alexander strikes a pose with 2014 Homecoming King Bradley Williams and Queen Chi Nguyen.
History was made as LSU crowned its first Asian American Queen, Chi Nguyen, a Biology major from Larose, LA. Bradley Williams, a mass communication major from Lafayette, LA, was crowned LSU’s Homecoming King.
Pictured right: Vice Provost Dereck Rovaris, Dr. Rachel Emmanuel President of A. P. Tureaud Sr. Black Alumni Chapter, Mr. A. P. Tureaud Jr., Homecoming Queen Chi Nguyen and King Bradley Williams.
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Diversity is Good for Everyone…
Office of Multicultural Affairs MLK and Black History Month Commemorative Keynote Address The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Committee and the Black History Month (BHM) Committee hosted journalist, scholar, author, and activist Dr. Marc Lamont Hill as the Keynote speaker for the annual MLK & BHM Commemorative Celebration. Dr. Hill is a Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College, award-winning journalist, host of HuffPost Live and BET News, commentator on Our World with Black Enterprise, political contributor for CNN and FOX news, and a leading intellectual voice in the country. Under this year’s theme of “Inspired Leadership: Purpose… Commitment… Action,” Dr. Marc Lamont Hill delivered an awe inspiring and truth-telling keynote that pertained to current events on race relations. Hill challenged the audience to individually and collectively confront the haunting and bloody past of racism, power, and privilege; analyze media portrayals of issues around race and gender, and to rethink the meaning of and conceptualization of activism and involvement. In addition to the keynote address, Hill spent time with students, faculty, staff, and community members at a book signing and reception. In collaboration with the College of Human Sciences and Education Graduate Students, a fireside chat closed out the evening where Hill had the opportunity to share personal narratives and have an intimate discussion with the group around the successes and limitations of scholarship and the academy. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/oma
Office of Multicultural Affairs
Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative
Inspired Leadership
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Diversity is Good for Everyone‌
African American Cultural Center The LSU African American Cultural Center in collaboration with the Black Student Union (BSU), and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at LSU hosted the inaugural State of the Union: The Black Student Perspective. In response to the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement, the State of the Union was created to serve as a town hall meeting and open forum where students could share their perspective on the Black LSU experience. It was also purposed with being the first step in unifying many of the programming efforts of various Black student organizations in addressing some of the current social and campus concerns centered on race, police brutality, marginalization and education. The program was led by a panel of representatives from various student organizations, including BSU, NAACP, AACC Ambassadors, the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association (BGPSA), the LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative (BMLI), and HER. The panel challenged attendees to share stories of their personal experiences of being a Black student on campus while encouraging them to get involved to help address the concerns that are affecting their community. Student participants challenged their peers to become engaged in student organizations and discussed strategies on how to motivate and unify the Black community moving forward. Attendees left with the charge of making the State of the Union a signature program each semester in an effort to continue the conversations about the Black student experience and encourage other cultural communities to unite in a similar fashion in order to begin to create sustainable, structural change throughout campus. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/aacc
COMMITED TO SUPPORTING A DIVERSE STUDENT BODY 16
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
The Women’s Center August 12, 2015, roughly 250 visitors witnessed stories from survivors of rape and abuse emblazoned on 200 bright red quilt squares. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the quilts blanketed the entire North Boulevard Town Square in downtown Baton Rouge. The Monument Quilt, is an on-going project to create public healing space by and for survivors. The quilt was brought to Birmingham by Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response and The Women’s Center at LSU. The Baton Rouge display was the third stop on a 13-city US tour.
“I am hopeful that today will be the beginning of community conversations about creating safe and public spaces where survivors can express themselves and experience community support.” -Summer Steib, LSU Women’s Center.
“Louisiana has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the states ranked the worst for women. Key factors contributing to these ranking are the incident rates and institutional responses to genderbased violence,“ states LSU Women’s Center Director, Summer Steib.
“The Monument Quilt was a great opportunity for citizens of Baton Rouge to learn more about the scope and impact of assault and abuse through physically interacting with actual stories shared by survivors. One of the goals was to encourage community members participating in the Monument Quilt display to make personal commitments to creating safer communities and ensuring survivors have the resources they need to heal,” Steib explains. The Baton Rouge stop was organized in partnership with the LSU Women’s Center, Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, the Iris Domestic Violence Center and the Lighthouse Project.
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Diversity is Good For Everyone...
SPECTRUM Create Community. Create Change.
Programs First Contact
About Us‌. Spectrum, formerly GBLSU or Gays, Bisexuals, Lesbians, and Supporters United, originally began as GLSA or Gay and Lesbian Student Association in the fall of 1977. The first meetings were off-campus, at private locations, due to the nature of the group. At the time, members of the LGBTQ community weren't readily accepted. In 1999, a group of students disconcerted with the mostly non-public nature of the LGBTQ movement at LSU formed Spectrum Alliance, which was intended to be involved in public activism and social change on campus. In response to needs expressed by the LGBTQ student community, GBLSU decided in Summer of 2008 to restructure itself to include small scale political activism and renamed itself Spectrum, after the defunct activist organization. Plenty of people around campus still refer to it as "Spectrum Alliance," thinking of the old group -- it was relatively short-lived, but it left a lasting impression! Since reorganizing in 2008, Spectrum has grown into an organization with over 100 active members, and has successfully organized programs, classroom panels, campus-wide forums, lobbying campaigns at the state legislature, and a statewide conference.
First Contact is a program where students new to or wondering about the LGBTQ community can meet with a peer contact on a one-onone basis. This program is for people who are out, closeted, or just questioning. Please check out the website www.lsu.edu/firstcontact for more information. Spectrum Panels We want to open up dialogue across the campus and spread awareness about Spectrum and LGBTQ issues. Spectrum Panels are meant to foster an informed, candid discussion about LGBTQ issues between a group of people (usually a class) and a handful of LGBTQ students. The panelists have been trained to sit in front of a group of people and discuss their orientation, identity, and life experiences. First Fridays One of Spectrum's oldest social events. First Fridays are social gatherings at a pre-arranged restaurant near LSU's campus on the first Friday of every month. These events are a great way to meet new people and even catch up with old friends. Attendance varies from approximately 15-20 people during the summer months, to around 90 during semesters.
For more information visit www.spectrumlsu.com 18
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
LSU STEM Alumni Connect The Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) led the efforts for an event aimed at showcasing LSU STEM alumni to administrators, faculty, staff, and students. The LSU STEM Alumni Connect was the first event of its kind, highlighting the research of OSI LSU alumni who are pursuing doctoral degrees and postdoctoral training. With sponsorship from the College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, College of Science, LSU Alumni Association, Office of Academic Affairs, Office of the President, Office of Research & Economic Development, Office of Diversity, Office of Strategic Initiatives, School of the Coast & Environment, and the School of Music. Twenty-four participants convened at the LSU Lod Cook Alumni Center, February 12-13, 2015. One of the goals of Connect was to promote diversification of the LSU faculty through recruitment of many of these scholars in the near future. Our plan was to leverage the University’s investment in this diverse talent pool of students who were supported by OSI undergraduate programs. Forty-six percent (46%) of the Alumni Connect participants were Black or Latino, and sixty-three percent (63%) were women. These outstanding alumni represented twenty-two institutions and had interests in five colleges for future faculty positions. Many described Connect as “a defining moment” in their post baccalaureate careers. This elite group included seven NSF Graduate Research fellows, LSU’s first and second Morris K. Udall Award recipients, two former LSU Tiger Twelve recipients, and one former University Medalist. The Connect Dinner was incredibly inspiring and featured Vice Provost Dereck Rovaris, as the keynote speaker. He moved everyone with his keynote address titled “Three Initials, Three Letters, and Three Fingers.” It was Dr. Rovaris’ idea to bring the students back to LSU for a showcase. In his speech, he inspired us to represent ourselves, our family, and our community well (three initials). He challenged participants to obtain doctoral degrees, stating that we can do so much more with a Ph.D. (three letters). Lastly, he demonstrated the power in the simplicity of three fingers, which have been used to accomplish many notable things throughout history. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/wp/osi
Our Commitment to Excellence
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Diversity is Good for Everyone‌
College of Agriculture Diversity in Recruiting The Office of Student Services in the College continued to actively recruit undergraduate students of color. This school year, the total enrollment in the College was 1,248, with 176 reported as non-white. Also, that total included 916 females. The College brought Dr. Johnny Morgan from the LSU AgCenter in October as Coordinator of Diversity and as adviser for the LSU Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) chapter. Morgan is working with department heads and curriculum coordinators to develop ideas to increase minority enrollment across the College. Morgan is currently working with the MANRRS advisers at Southern University to develop the first Jr. MANRRS chapter in Louisiana. The goal is to start the first chapter in Baton Rouge to generate a knowledge and interest in agriculture in 7th-12th grade students. He also attended the regional diversity conference at Mississippi State University in November to increase his knowledge of diversity programs in the Southeastern Conference.
MANRRS students engage and recruit High School students during 4-H University week at LSU.
Minorities in Agriculture and Natural Resource Related Sciences (MANRRS) The LSU Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) organization is the premier organization to provide support for African American students within the College. The organization was reestablished on campus in 2013 with the goal of providing networking opportunities for students with professionals, providing professional development opportunities and promoting scholarly achievement in a nurturing environment. One of the highlights of the organization’s year was attending the national conference, which was held in Houston, TX. At the conference, the students were able to network with professionals in their career area and interviewed for internships and professional employment. One of the main goals of the LSU MANRRS organization is to serve the community through at least two outreach events each year. The Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service cleanup around the city and volunteering at the Connections for Life Thrift Store to help the store prepare for the Christmas holidays, were the two outreach activities in which the LSU MANRRS organization participated. For more information visit www.coa.lsu.edu 20
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
University College MARCH with Congressman John Lewis On Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014, LSU University College hosted noted civil rights leader and U.S. Congressman John Lewis, as well as his co-author Andrew Aydin, for a presentation titled MARCH with Congressman John Lewis, in the LSU Student Union Theater. Prior to the evening presentation, an afternoon book signing with Congressman Lewis and Aydin was held at LSU Barnes & Noble. Lewis, who represents Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, is an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper’s farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington, and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Barak Obama. To share his remarkable story with new generations, Lewis presented March, an award-winning graphic novel trilogy, in collaboration with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell. March is a vivid firsthand account of Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation.
The first volume, March: Book One, spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall. March has been featured on The Colbert Report and The Rachel Maddow Show, spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List, and received honors from the Coretta Scott King and Robert F. Kennedy Book Awards. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/univeristycollege
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Diversity is Good for Everyone…
University College “The academic support and counseling from Student Services is amazing. They’re always keeping you on the right path, reinforcing the reasons why you are here, and helping you explore your goals and what life has to offer.” Student Support Services provides a lot of different service projects, and these have helped me network with other LSU students. Giving back to the Baton Rouge community and the world is the greatest feeling. It has been an awesome opportunity. “ .............................................
Ricky Richard May 2015, Kinesiology Summer Scholars 2011 Student Support Services LSU Exchange Break, Ecuador 2013 Spain 2013 International Study Abroad Black Male Leadership Initiative LSU Ambassadors Resident Assistant, LSU Residential Life The Gates Millennium Scholars Program
LSU University College's Student Support Services (SSS) is a comprehensive, federally funded TRIO program that offers assistance to a small, select number of undergraduate students at LSU. SSS provides assistance at every stage of undergraduate education, whether students are deciding what to take in their first semester or wondering how to prepare for their first job interview. SSS provides intensive academic, personal, and career counseling to help students reach their goals at LSU. SSS does all that they can to assist students in achieving success at LSU. Students, like Ricky, who make a commitment to participate fully in their educational process find great benefits in SSS. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/sss
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Diversity is Good for Everyone…
McNair Scholars Program McNair Research Program Helps Military Veterans Enter World of Quantum Physics Todd Moulder is someone who strives for intelligence, whether it is in the university classroom or laboratory, or in the field as part of the U.S. Armed Forces. With the assistance of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program, operated through LSU’s University College, the junior from Alexandria, La., has been able to continue his pursuit of knowledge in the challenging world of quantum physics. Moulder said that the McNair Research Scholars program has helped him to achieve firsts for not only himself, but his family and hometown. “As far as I know, no one from Alexandria pursued and went into physics as a career,” Moulder said. “It’s a small town. No one of my family had even considered pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Now, the McNair program has me conducting research, presenting at conferences, and looking at a Ph.D.” “Todd saw this as a way to change his trajectory, appreciating Alexandria, but wanting to see the world in a different way. I think there are many stories like that at LSU. That’s what McNair is about – giving students the opportunity to make these kinds of things happen for themselves. That’s why we provide the funding, so students can focus on the research instead of getting another job. “We cover conference travel expenses, because we feel that’s a great opportunity for them to share their research and network.” Joe Givens, Director
McNair Highlights McNair Research Scholars six-year graduation rate of Fall 2014 cohort is 100 percent. ▪19 McNair scholars participated in faculty-directed research
projects during the 2014-2015 academic year. ▪11 Students recruited in the Spring 2015 will participate in the LSU McNair Summer Research Academy. ▪16 McNair scholars presented research at academic conferences. ▪ LSU’s McNair Research Scholars program maintains a 99 percent undergraduate completion rate. ▪ Since the inception of the program, 49 McNair alumni have earned a doctoral degree, and 130 have earned a master’s degree. ▪ There are 63 McNair alumni pursuing graduate degrees: 25
pursuing master’s degrees, 33 pursuing Ph.Ds., two pursuing M.Ds, and three pursuing J.Ds.
Todd Moulder and Jonathan P. Dowling, Professor and Hearne Chair of Theoretical Physics For more information visit www.lsu.edu/mcnair
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African & African American Studies African & African American Studies Abroad (AAAS) This was the inaugural year for the conception and development of the Academic Program Abroad to Haiti for AAAS. In the AAAS curriculum, there is a requirement for students to have at least two courses in a non-US geographical area and this course can be used for that purpose. The course also has a community engagement component and students get basic knowledge of ethnographic research with use of technology (video and still photography). In addition, the course can be used to encourage students to travel and study abroad to have a better global perspective. Students are based in Jacmel, Haiti, and the work is centered on the importance of the shared history, culture and environmental issues of Louisiana and Haiti. The course, Haiti: Cultural Sustainability (AAAS 3902/ANTH 4998) uses an ethnographic approach to examine the issues of cultural sustainability. It was implemented in May 2015, Spring Intersession.
Dr. Joyce Jackson and students in Jacmel, Haiti.
AAAS 20th Year Anniversary Symposium & Lecture Series African & African American Studies (AAAS) celebrated its 20 th Year Anniversary this academic year of 20142015. They celebrated with a lecture series and a one-day symposium. The symposium, Blacks in the Red Stick: The African American Presence in Baton Rouge, consisted of a morning panel, an afternoon panel, a keynote speaker and a reception. As an interdisciplinary program, the faculty is very diverse and strong efforts were made by the Director, Joyce Marie Jackson and the committee to have diverse panel members from LSU and Southern University. They were also very pleased to see audience members from various departments as well as the community. Dr. Thomas J. Durant, Jr., Professor Emeritus from the LSU Department of Sociology and AAAS rendered the keynote address. For more information visit www.lsu.edu/aaas 24
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
College of Art and Design School of Architecture Diversity Committee The LSU School of Architecture Diversity Committee was instituted in 2014–15. The committee’s accomplishments include compiling a 27-page report investigating the state of diversity in the school as well as the national prospect of diversity in schools of architecture. The committee’s primary focus is on the student population. The report identified five key goals that will help move the school’s efforts forward. Dr. Rovaris and Professor Scott Ruff, a recognized expert in diversity for architecture programs, from Tulane visited with faculty to discuss the school’s diversity report and strategize next steps. The LSU School of Architecture’s non-white student population rose from 25% to 28.5% due to long-standing recruiting efforts as well as retention measures enacted four years ago. Recruiting efforts expanded to include more faculty members and students. The school also continued to attend numerous college fairs and direct-reach efforts in schools. Undergraduate efforts were aimed primarily at the local (Louisiana/Texas) level, but graduate recruiting efforts included visits to historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta and Baltimore. For more information visit www.design.lsu.edu
A First in Architecture The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students continued to provide benefits to the entire community, including mentor/mentee connections for all students; participation in the national organization; leadership within the school; and hosting three all-school events throughout the year. In addition, NOMAS members led outreach efforts at local schools through their Light a Fire program. In 2014, the school celebrated alumna Nicole Hilton, Bachelor of Architecture 2007, as the first African American female graduate of the LSU architecture program to obtain licensure as a registered architect. Hilton presented a NOMAS lecture to the school, and her accomplishments were published in Quad: The LSU College of Art & Design Magazine, on the school and college website, and on the university website, receiving thousands of views and gaining attention from the national professional organization, the American Institute of Architects.
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E.J. Ourso College of Business Dress for Success On September 4, 2014, the College of Business Office of Diversity & Inclusion hosted the Dress for Success Fashion Show. All College of Business students were invited. The Dress for Success Fashion Show featured business casual and business professional looks and taught students how to dress appropriately for interviews and workplace situations.
|Diversity Diplomats Meet Donna Brazile| On April 14-17, 2015, Angela Guidry, Diversity Director, and the Diversity Diplomats attended the 11th annual Texas Diversity & Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas. This three-day conference provided an opportunity to explore tools and resources necessary to build diverse workforces and remain competitive on the global stage. The conference also provided a valuable opportunity for students to network together and grow in their knowledge of diversity and leadership, to be utilized to craft long and distinguished careers. Attendees had the opportunity to meet Ms. Donna Brazilie, a veteran political strategist, founder and managing director of Brazile and Associates LLC, author of a best-selling memoir and receipient of an honorary doctorate from Louisiana State University.
Annual Ph.D. Project On November 19th through the 21st, the Annual Ph.D. Project Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois. Angela Guidry, Director of Diversity for the E. J. Ourso College of Business, and two Ph.D. students attended the conference to recruit potential Ph.D. candidates to the college. The purpose of The Ph.D. Project is to increase the diversity of business school faculty. The conference provided prospective minority Ph.D. students with the opportunity to network with other minorities already in academia. For more information visit www.business.lsu.edu 26
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
College of Human Science and Education Bi–Annual Louisiana Summit for African American Male Success The College of Human Sciences and Education’s Summit on African American Male Educational Success highlighted successful policies, practices, and collective efforts between schools and communities for developing structures that promote positive educational outcomes for African American males. It brought together nationally prominent educational policy makers (Ivory Toldson, Baton Rouge native and deputy director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges & Universities), administrators (LSU System President, F. King Alexander, Provost Stuart Bell, Vice Provost for Diversity, Dereck Rovaris, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Isiah Warner and CHSE Dean, Damon Andrew) scholars (University of Illinois-Chicago, Associate Professor, David Stovall and Rutgers University, Professor Fred Bonner), K-12 and post-secondary teachers and students, spoken word artists, and invested community members. As a national leader, in this conversation, with the LSU Higher Education Administration (HEA) program having the highest African American male doctoral graduation rate within the university. African American men in HEA earn doctoral degrees at six times the national average. For more information visit www.chse.lsu.edu or contact: Roland Mitchell, rwmitch@lsu.edu
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Ghandi
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College of Human Sciences and Education Leader in Black Male Doctoral Awards Each year, only about 1,000 African American men earn doctoral degrees. Thus, it is noteworthy that this spring four African American men earned their doctoral degrees in one department in the College of Human Sciences and Education at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The four new doctoral recipients in educational leadership and research were under the tutelage of Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner, the Shirley B. Barton Endowed Associate Professor in education at the university, and Roland Mitchell, the Joellen Levy Yates Professor and Interim Associate Dean, Research and Engagement and Graduate Studies. Here are brief educational biographies of the four African Americans who earned doctorates in the higher education leadership and research program this spring: Kourtney Gray holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and is now the Director of LEAD at Baylor University. Vincent Harris is a graduate of Auburn University in Alabama and holds a master’s degree from Ohio University in Athens and is now working as an Administrative Fellow through the office of Institutional Diversity and Equity working with the Harvard College Women's Center. Melvin (Jai) Jackson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He will be an assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies at Zayed University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Benterah Morton earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton.
Kourtney Gray
Vincent Harris
Melvin (Jai) Jackson
Benterah Morton
School of Education Students Share Their Teaching Experiences in Chile The LSU Teaching in Chile Experience returned from its third annual trip to Concepción, Chile in June 2014. Twenty participants spent three weeks living with Chilean host families and teaching at the Colegio Concepción in San Pedro de la Paz. Additionally, 10 participants spent an additional week at The Southern Cross School in Santiago, living with host families. Participants in the program taught a variety of subjects, from pre-school through twelfth grade. Program Co-Director Kenny Fasching-Varner, Shirley B. Barton Endowed Associate Professor in the School of Education, commented that, “The program is really unique among study abroad programs as participants have the opportunity to not only live with authentic host families, but do so applying their professional craft in a fully-integrated educational internship.” For more information visit www.chse.lsu.edu Kenneth Fasching-Varner, varner@lsu.edu 28
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College of Humanities and Social Sciences English The Poetry Themes Research Project Professor Sue Weinstein served as Co-PI on the project, with Urban Word NYC Executive Director Michael Cirelli. The project documented and analyzed the characteristics of youth poems across the U.S. Pilot studies which were conducted in New York City and Baton Rouge are now funded through the Brave New Voices Network Leadership Initiative with sixteen participating organizations across the U.S. An overview of the project was presented at the Brave New Voices Network Leadership Initiative gathering in San Francisco in February 2015.
Linguistics
Students from McKinley High School participate in the English Amped Research Project Day.
Diversity is at the core of linguistics, and our courses are characterized by their interdisciplinarity as most of them are cross-listed with other departments and academic units. Linguistics courses include the infusion of diversity integrated with communication-intensive methodologies. Some exemplars of our curricular diversity include: introduction to Anthropological Linguistics where students understand and appreciate how cultural diversity and linguistic diversity are tightly intertwined as they learn about different cultures around the world and structure of the Spanish language constitutes another example of the infusion of diversity in our course offerings. Diversity is also an important component of our scholarship. Our publications address linguistic issues among African American children as well as in Colombia, New York City, the Louisiana Cajun community and beyond. Over the last few years the linguistics program has been awarded several grants that have integrated the efforts of faculty from various disciplines. These efforts have helped fund graduate students from different departments that participate in linguistics. A recent grant was competitive for NIH funding because it focused on reducing health disparities for under-represented groups of culturally and linguistically diverse individuals.
Women and Gender Studies
Students, faculty and staff had the privilege to hear Ruth Oppenheim recall her time living in Nazi Germany during Kristallnacht. She spoke of the persecution she faced as a young Jewish child and how she moved to America. The event was sponsored by Jewish Studies, with support from the Department of English, Film & Media Arts, LSU Hillel and Women’s and Gender Studies. For more information visit www.hss.lsu.edu
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LSU Press Promoting Diversity Through Scholarly Publishing Publishing books that contribute to social and gender equality, diversity, and civic engagement has always been critical to the mission of the Press. Over the past year, the Press has upheld this longstanding tradition by publishing an array of titles that advance these goals. LSU Press promoted social equality and fostered diversity in a variety of ways, including publishing LaGuana Gray’s We Just Keep Running the Line: Black Southern Women and the Poultry Processing Industry, a book that examines the history of African American women working in North Louisiana’s chicken processing factories. Gray argues that the justification for placing African American women in low-paying and dangerous jobs like poultry processing derives from longstanding mischaracterizations of black women by those in power. In evaluating the perception of black women as “less” than white women – less feminine, less moral, less deserving of social assistance, and less invested in their families and communities’ wellbeing – Gray illuminates the often-exploitative nature of southern labor, the growth of the agribusiness model of food production, and the role of women of color in such food industries. Using collected oral histories to allow marginalized women of color to tell their own stories and to contest and reshape narratives commonly used against them, We Just Keep Running the Line explores the physical and psychological toll this work took on black women, analyzing their survival strategies and their fight to retain their humanity in an exploitative industry. LSU Press also published Donald E. Devore’s Defying Jim Crow: African American Community Development and the Struggle for Racial Equality in New Orleans, 1900-1960. The book, which tells the story of the black community’s decades-long struggle against racial oppression in New Orleans, shows how African Americans sought to reverse the trends of racism by prioritizing the kind of capacity building-investment in education, participation in national organizations, and a spirit of entrepreneurship in markets not dominated by white businessmen – that would ensure the community’s ability to keep fighting for their rights in the face of setbacks and hostility from the city’s white leaders. To foster civic engagement, the Press released several books that were of widespread interest to Louisianans. One title that is emblematic of that engagement is Hurricane Katrina in a Transatlantic Perspective, edited by Roman Huret and Randy Sparks. The work, a multidisciplinary study of the events surrounding and the legacy of the storm, includes contributions from American and European scholars who approach this infamous hurricane and its aftermath through a variety of disciplines, from music to geography to anthropology, creating a nuanced understanding of how society reacts to and later remembers times of disaster. For more information visit www.lsupress.org 30
Diversity is Good for Everyone…
Student Spotlight Olinde Career Center The LSU Olinde Career Center through a stipend provided by LSU Student Life and Enrollment’s Student Life Experience Fund awarded a $1000 dollar stipend to provide a student who self-identifies as an ethnic minority the opportunity to work an unpaid internship. To be successful in today’s work world students must obtain work experience in their major before graduation. Through internships students learn more about themselves, clarify their career interests, see the reality of their work world and gain knowledge of how diverse the world is. Because of the resounding number or unpaid internships compared to paid, only a select number of students are able to leverage their college experiences through there imperative learning experiences. Paige Vaughn, a Manship School of Mass Communication junior majoring in journalism was awarded the Unpaid Internship Diversity Scholarship and will be working at WAFB as a news reporter. For more information visit www.students.lsu.edu/careercenter
30th Annual Black Scholars Awards Ceremony
The Black Scholars Award Ceremony recognized black undergraduate scholars who achieved academic excellence at LSU. The Black Scholars Awards Ceremony 2015 honored more than 800 students with overall grade point averages ranging from 3.0 to 4.0. From this elite group, three students were selected to receive a special award, including a onetime cash award and special recognition. For more information visit www.su.edu/bfsc
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School of Veterinary Medicine Future Leaders of Cultural Competency
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine forms Diversity Committee In the fall of 2014, the School of Veterinary Medicine Dean, Dr. Joel D. Baines, created the position of Associate Dean for Diversity and Faculty Affairs, now held by Dr. Lorrie Gaschen. The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Diversity Committee was formed shortly after and is made up of stakeholders across the school. The committees’ first initiatives were to create a strategic plan for diversity and inclusivity at the School and to develop training programs for students, staff and faculty. The Diversity Committees initiatives are in line with that of LSU and the American Association of Veterinary Colleges which provides access to numerous resources and collaborators. The School also participated in regionally organized symposia hosted by veterinary medical colleges that explored a range of diversity issues, including gender, sexuality, disability, and diversity within the context of the DVM curriculum. This year, Dr. Annie Daniel, Associate Professor and Dr. Joe Taboada, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Lorrie Gaschen both of the School of Veterinary Medicine, presented a workshop entitled “Exploring How to Effectively Integrate Cultural Competency in the Veterinary Medicine Curriculum” at the 2015 Iverson Bell Symposium of the American Association of Veterinary Colleges in Washington D.C. Partnering with Dr. Dereck Rovaris in the Office of Diversity, the School of Veterinary Medicine now provides required training for search committees. The Diversity Committee began development of their Fall and Spring Workshops and will be holding a Fall 2015 Seminar and Workshop entitled “Cultural Competency, Diversity and Inclusivity: An Imperative for Success in our Multicultural Society”, being held on September 11 and 12 with guest speaker Dr. Patti Rose who will hold keynote addresses and workshops at the School of Veterinary Medicine as well as a book signing and outcomes assessment. Other activities included those of the Veterinary Students as One in Culture and Ethnicity (VOICE) LSU Chapter. VOICE is a national, student run organization, which addresses the need for socio-cultural awareness that is not currently part of the core veterinary curriculum. The DVM students of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Chapter organized guest lecturers for student, staff and faculty every semester with a focus on community outreach and how veterinary medical education encompasses diverse job opportunities every fall and spring semester.
For more information visit www.vetmed.lsu.edu 32
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School of the Coast and Environment Faculty Engagement in Diversity Dr. Malinda Sutor , appointed to the University Council on Women in August 2011, served as a regular member for two years, as Chair during AY 2013-2014, and now serves as a general member and past Chair. During her tenure as Chair the Council voted to change its name, modify its mission, and is now the University Council on Gender Equity. Dr. Sutor and Richard Shaw (SC&E Assoc. Dean of Academics) have also served on the Diversity Action Team (DAT) for the last four years. In addition, Dean Chris D’Elia and Dr. Shaw have met with Drs. Isiah Warner and Gloria Thomas to discuss SC&E’s future involvement with cross-wide LSU proposal to NSF’s ADVANCE program. As of 1 July 2015, SC&E will be hiring its first African American Senior Postdoc, Dr. Nekesha B. Williams (a former McNair student and a “Bridge to the Doctorate” graduate from USF) on a two-year, research project/mentorship/internship. As it pertains to student recruitment, SC&E continues to draw significant numbers of international students. Countries represented in the 20142015 academic year include: China, Ecuador, India, Iran, Jamaica, Oman, Nepal, South Africa, Turkey, and the Ukraine. In Academic Year 2015 –2016 SC&E will increase efforts to recruit more students from Latin America, a traditionally important source of students for LSU. For more information visit www.sce.lsu.edu
Diversity, Outreach & Recruitment SC&E’s EnvironMentors is a collaborative, award-winning, and proven college-access program that addresses issues facing the Baton Rouge community including: workforce development, education of high school students that are under-represented in the sciences, and encouraging the next generation of environmental stewards. It is an afterschool STEM mentoring and college-access program. All students who participate in the program are from metro Baton Rouge, and considered at-risk for not graduating high school. In the program’s first five years, 23 of the 25 students who completed the program also completed high school (92 percent), which is drastically higher than their school district’s graduation rate of 44.1 percent, and is also significantly higher than the long-term graduation rate for Louisiana high schools.
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College of Science Inclusive Excellence The College of Science maintained a Diversity Committee that met and made recommendations to the Dean regarding a wide variety of diversity issues. An example of the impact of this committee was seen in the practice of appointing a diversity advocate to all faculty search committees. The College of Science is pleased that this element has been incorporated into recommendations for faculty searches across the university. The College of Science was a co-sponsor and active participant in the first ever Alumni Connect Symposium, that was organized by the Office of Strategic Initiatives in coordination with the Office of Diversity. This event was a great success, and more details can be obtained from Melissa Crawford in the Office of Strategic Initiatives. The College of Science was also a co-sponsor for “Scientific Storytelling,” which was held on June 26th featuring LSU graduate Dr. Rafael Luna. The event for was for graduate students from each of the 5 departments. Dr. Luna presented a similar lecture for faculty earlier in the academic year. Dr. Carol Colatrella, two-time Fulbright scholar and author of Toys and Tools in Pink: Cultural Narratives of Gender, Science, and Technology, was the keynote speaker for LSU’s Women in STEM event. Colatrella, co-director for the Study of Women, Science, and Technology and professor of literature and cultural studies at Georgia Tech, presented a theoretical and practical understanding of gender inequality, race, and other forms of oppression in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The aim of her talk was to increase awareness of these issues, improve the representation of women and minorities in STEM disciplines, and inspire campus initiatives connecting feminist theories and practices with positive outcomes.
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College of Science Faculty Development Diversity Initiative The goal of many new STEM graduates is to obtain a tenure-track position as an assistant professor. In the Biological Sciences, the path to an assistant professor position typically entails a postdoctoral research apprenticeship to establish a strong record of scholarly activity. Obtaining a faculty position is increasingly competitive and requires an excellent publication record and other marks of recognition such as securing extramural research support. In order to enhance the competitiveness of individuals from underrepresented groups, the College of Science and Department of Biological Sciences initiated a professional development postdoctoral program. The program allows for individuals, under the mentorship of senior faculty, to publish research projects they have completed, obtain preliminary data for future research projects and grant proposals, and move forward to demonstrate an ability to develop an independent and productive research program. The College of Science and Department of Biological Sciences brought back one of their outstanding minority Ph.D. students, Dr. Raphyel Rosby, as an Assistant Professor of Research as part of this program. The aim is to allow Dr. Rosby to enhance his ability to compete for future tenure-track assistant professor positions. For more information visit www.scieince.lsu.edu
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, ....involve me and I learn.� - Benjamin Franklin
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College of Engineering & Black Male Leadership Initiative 2nd Annual First Impressions Event for Men of Color The 2nd Annual "First Impressions" event shed a new light on business and casual styles for LSU male students, with a special emphasis on students of color, who are underrepresented in engineering, computer science, construction management, and additional majors at LSU. The event demonstrated the importance of making a strong first impression when networking and interviewing with professionals in corporate environments. The event was hosted by the LSU College of Engineering Diversity Programs' student organizations, The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE); and the LSU Black Male Leadership Initiative Fellows (BMLI) Program. The guest speaker for the event was Mr. Derek Watkins. Mr. Watkins, who rose to popularity as Farnsworth Bently, shared advice from his book: Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence, and Style to Get Ahead, as a means to encourage and guide young professionals on the etiquette of business and the importance of making a lasting first impression. First Impressions was sponsored by Halliburton. For more information visit www.eng.lsu.edu
#AdavanceYourSwagger2015
“You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression”
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College of Music and Dramatic Arts Diversity is Good for Everyone…
College of Music and Dramatic Arts Diversity Hits High Notes Crystal Morris, Chary Williams and Ariana Douglas competed in the New Orleans District of the Gulf Coast’s Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions in New Orleans at Loyola University. Both Ms. Morris and Douglas were awarded Encouragement Awards and a cash prize of $250 each, while Ms. Williams was awarded $700 and advanced forward to the Regional finals of the competition. Although Ms. Williams did not advance to the semi-final round, she received an additional prize of $500. In addition, master’s student Zoie Reams (right) was awarded an Encouragement award and a cash prize of $330 during the West Tennessee District of the MidSouth’s Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions at the University of Memphis (TN). Zoie was one of three LSU students that competed. On Sunday, May 24, 2015, Ms. Reams competed and won first prize ($3,000) in the Young Artist/Emerging Professional Division of the Classical Singer Vocal Competition in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to that event, undergraduate Prentiss Mouton (pictured below with Metropolitan Opera great, George Shirley) competed and won first prize in the George Shirley African-American Art Song and Operatic Aria Competition held at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit, Michigan. For more information visit www.wp.cmda.lsu.edu
Reach Beyond Borders In May 2015, doctoral student Christine Russell and undergraduate vocal music education major Molly Toups traveled to Concepcion, Chile as part of LSU’s Teach in Chile Experience. They joined a group of 20 other LSU students who for three weeks, and were immersed in Chilean culture while observing and teaching in a K-12, English-as-a-Second-Language school. At Colegio Concepcion San Pedro, the K-12 school, Christine and Molly observed the school’s music educator, taught lessons of their own, and performed in participant-observer roles and during teaching demonstrations. For more information visit www.wp.cmda.lsu.edu
New Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Diversity In January 2015, the College of Music and Dramatic Arts hired Fred Peterbark (left) as the new Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Diversity. Prior to his arrival at LSU, Fred served as the Assistant Dean for Recruitment & Outreach for the College of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder (2008-2015).
left to right: Crystal Morris, Chary Williams, Ariana Douglas
Fred hit the ground running, interacting and collaborating with colleagues in the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, as well as his recruiting counterparts throughout campus, especially within the Office of Admissions. He looks forward to recruiting a talented diverse student body that will continue to perfect their talents. Fred Peterbark may be contacted at peterbark@lsu.edu
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International Programs International Programs Hosts Research Fair On November 18th, LSU International Programs Cultural Planning Committee, hosted the first International Research Fair in the LSU Union. There were ten Exchange Visitor participants from all over the world, presenting posters describing the impactful research they are conducting while at LSU. The purpose of the Exchange Visitor Program is to provide foreign nationals with opportunities to participate in educational and cultural programs in the United States and return home to share their experiences, and to encourage Americans to participate in educational and cultural programs in other countries. Participants at the International Research Fair were encouraged to not only describe their research, but to tell their own international stories; how they got here, where they are from, and why their research is globally relevant. Presentation topics included Pathobiological Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Political Philosophy. Opening remarks for the Research fair were given by Dr. Kalliat T. Valsaraj, Vice President of Research and Economic Development, Charles and Hilda Roddey Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering; and Dr. Ike East Professor of Chemical Engineering. Dr. East was introduced by Dr. Hector O. Zapata, Executive Director of International Programs, Past President of the LSU Alumni Association & Alumni Professor. Three participants then spoke, giving a brief overview of their international experiences. Dr. Fabrizio Donnarumma, Dr. Pushpendra Singh, and Ms. Daniella Porto told the audience about how their research has brought them to LSU. Then, audience members were able to walk around to the different participants’ posters and hear about their work and ask questions. A panel of judges then selected winners. First Place went to Dr. Pushpendra Singh, Second Place to Dr. Pankaj Baral, and Third Place went to Dr. Ma. Del Rocio Baños-Lara. All three are doing research in the field of Pathobiological Sciences. For more information visit www.international.lsu.edu
Diversity Celebrated through Research
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Office of Diversity Financials Office of Diversity Financials SALARIES
2014-2015 OFFICE OF DIVERSITY UNIT FINANCIALS
$768,433.13
63%
GRADUATE STUDENTS
9%
OTHER EMPLOYEE SUPPORT TRAVEL
2%
OPERATING
6%
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SUPPLIES
OTHER CHARGES
Gifts to the Office of Diversity through the LSU Foundation is just one of the ways that our alumni and friends demonstrate their commitment to LSU. Gifts received enable the Office of Diversity to make an impact in the areas of priority to increase diversity among students, faculty, administration and staff at LSU. Having the resources to maintain scholarships, enhance student programs and provide faculty support is central to LSU’s efforts to become a model of inclusive excellence in higher education. To learn more about our fundraising priorities or to make a gift please visit: www.lsu.edu/diversity/community_alumni/support_diversity.php
2%
9%
PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT
THANK YOU to our supporters
3%
4%
2%
2014-2015 Gifts to the LSU Foundation $129,483.70 in support of the Office of Diversity
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ACADE MIC AFFAIR S
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY
Diversity is Good For Everyone www.lsu.edu/diversity 40