Making Excellence Inclusive:
Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
A Regional Conference of the Metro New York & Southern Connecticut
Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
November 7, 2008
The Graduate Center, CUNY
365 Fifth Avenue, New York City
www.mnyscherc.org
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Conference at a Glance
8:00 - 9:00 am
Coffee and Continental Breakfast
Concourse Level
9:00 - 9:30 am
Greetings
Concourse Auditorium
9:30 - 10:45 am
PLENARY PANEL
Diversity and Institutional Transformation:
The Role of Presidents and Chancellors
Concourse Auditorium
11:00 - 12:15 pm
Concurrent Sessions and Workshops
SESSION I
Diversifying the Faculty:
Best Practices for Recruitment, Retention, and Promotion
Recital Hall Auditorium (Lobby Level)
SESSION II
Promoting Diversity:
Foundations as Catalysts for Research and Innovation
Segal Theater (Lobby Level)
WORKSHOP I
Disability Inclusion Programs
Room 9204
WORKSHOP II
Student Diversity Initiatives
Room 9206
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Plenary Luncheon
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Concourse Level
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
2:15 - 3:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions and Workshops
SESSION III
Negotiating the Legal Landscape in Higher Education:
Diversity Initiatives and the Law in the Coming Decade
Recital Hall Auditorium (Lobby Level)
SESSION IV
Promoting Comprehensive Institutional Change:
Essential Elements of Campus-wide Diversity Initiatives
Segal Theater (Lobby Level)
WORKSHOP III
Assessing Diversity Efforts
Room 9204
WORKSHOP IV
Setting Up Bridge Programs into Ph.D. or
Professional Schools
Room 9206
3:45 - 5:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions and Workshops
SESSION V
Advancing Women Students and Faculty in Science and
Engineering: New Strategies and Old Ones That Work
Recital Hall Auditorium (Lobby Level)
SESSION VI
Minority Faculty: Perspectives on Diversity and
Institutional Transformation
Segal Auditorium (Lobby Level)
SESSION VII
Strategies for Building Pathways into the
Faculty and into Academic Administration
Concourse Auditorium (Lower Level)
WORKSHOP V
Successful Mentoring Programs for Diverse Faculty
Room 9204
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Conference Program
Making Excellence Inclusive:
Promoting Diversity in Higher Education Conference
OBJECTIVE
This conference will generate and disseminate state-of-the-art information and
best practices for promoting excellence through diversity in higher educational
settings with special emphasis on creating inclusive faculties. In contributing to
the national conversation on how to make institutions of higher education more
inclusive, the conference will address such key issues as how to navigate the
current legal landscape surrounding diversity initiatives; work creatively with
foundations and federal agencies to expand educational opportunity; transform
inhospitable or inflexible university cultures in the interest of creating more
inclusive communities; engage faculty in inclusive search processes; and use
regional networks to create programs that will increase the number of underrepresented students in Ph.D. and professional programs.
8:00 - 9:00 am
Coffee and Continental Breakfast
Concourse Level
9:00 - 9:30 am
Greetings
Concourse Auditorium
Laila Maher, Director, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action;
Director, Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
Columbia University
Henry Vance Davis, University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity
The City University of New York
Garrie W. Moore, Vice Chancellor for Student Development
The City University of New York
Laila Maher
Henry Vance Davis
Garrie W. Moore
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
9:30 - 10:45 am
PLENARY PANEL
Diversity and Institutional Transformation:
The Role of Presidents and Chancellors
Concourse Auditorium
Lee C. Bollinger, President
Columbia University
Alma R. Clayton-Pederson, Vice President, Education and Institutional Renewal
Association of American Colleges and Universities
William P. Kelly, President
The Graduate Center, The City University of New York
Shirley Strum Kenny, President
Stony Brook University
Moderator: Jean Howard, George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities
Chair, Department of English and Comparative Literature
Columbia University
This panel will address the role of university leadership in spearheading and facilitating
institutional change around issues of diversity and expanded educational opportunity. Given
the changing legal and cultural landscape, what barriers inhibit progress in pursuing the goal of
creating more inclusive institutions of higher education and what new possibilities are opening
up for achieving that objective? In what ways are emerging imperatives to globalize our
colleges and universities complementing or competing with traditional U.S.-based diversity
initiatives? What role can Presidents and Chancellors play in such arenas as: defining and
disseminating university diversity goals; diversifying university leadership; creating
accountability around diversity for those in leadership roles; enlisting faculty in key initiatives for
equity and expanded educational opportunity; and deploying the resources of development,
institutional research, and legal counsel in facilitating the university’s diversity mission?
Lee C. Bollinger
Alma R. ClaytonPederson
William P. Kelly
Shirley Strum
Kenny
Jean Howard
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
11:00 - 12:15 pm
Concurrent Sessions and Workshops
SESSION I
Diversifying the Faculty:
Best Practices for Recruitment, Retention, and Promotion
Recital Hall Auditorium (Lobby Level)
Geraldine Downey, Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives
Columbia University
John Rose, Dean for Diversity and Compliance
Hunter College, The City University of New York
e. Frances White, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
New York University
Moderator: Clover Hall, Vice President, Institutional Research and Academic Planning
St. John’s University
GERALDINE DOWNEY
Faculty Diversity in an Era of (Possible) Financial Crisis
Like many university initiatives, Diversity Initiatives have come into being
based on considerable enthusiasm and modest financial support. How is
momentum sustained and progress maintained as universities face new
challenges, interest is drawn to new initiatives, and the possibility of funds
from Wall Street dries up?
JOHN ROSE
Planning for Success: Effective Strategies and Action Steps
in Recruiting Diverse Faculty
Recruiting diverse faculty can be a challenge, even to a college or university
committed to the process. Common misperceptions include the belief that it
is impossible to identify and reach diverse faculty candidates, that there is a
limited availability of diverse candidates, and that there is strong competition
for available candidates. If recruiting diverse faculty is truly a goal, then institutions must be
willing to invest time and energy, just as they would when pursuing other important goals.
Recruiting a diverse faculty requires research, planning, coordination, execution, and timing.
This session explores strategies and action steps that have been effective in recruiting
diverse faculty.
e. FRANCES WHITE
Faculty Diversity in the (Post) Obama Era
This presentation will focus on strategies for moving forward a diversity
agenda among the faculty. I will argue that any approach must be multilayered and focus on both short-term and long-term goals. In particular,
I will highlight building a culture which emphasizes retention, building a
pipeline, and moving beyond compliance with aggressive, concerted, and,
when appropriate, bold efforts.
CLOVER HALL
Moderator
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
SESSION II
Promoting Diversity: Foundations as Catalysts for
Research and Innovation
Segal Theater (Lobby Level)
Carlotta M. Arthur, Program Officer for Liberal Arts Colleges Programs
Mellon Foundation
Ted Greenwood, Program Director
Sloan Foundation
Moderator: Valarie Stanley, Associate Director, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs
Yale University
CARLOTTA M. ARTHUR
Cultivating the Garden: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Programs that Promote Diversity Among Faculty
“Knowledge is like a garden: If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested”
- Guinean Proverb
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has a number of programs that support
diversity in higher education. The Foundation’s Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCU) Program provides multi-year grants to private, four-year HBCUs whose
missions are to provide an undergraduate liberal arts education. The Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) is one of the Foundation’s premier programs and the
centerpiece of the Foundation’s long-term effort to help remedy the serious shortage of faculty
of color in higher education. Additional grant-making activities include support for programs
and initiatives that address issues of diversity in higher education. These Foundation programs
promote diversity among faculty not only by supporting individual students of great promise,
but also by strengthening the institutions they attend and by cultivating innovative
collaborations amongst institutions. I will briefly describe each of these Foundation programs
and provide some examples of successful initiatives.
TED GREENWOOD
Programs of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to
Promote Diversity in Higher Education
The Sloan Foundation has one large program, one small program, one new
pilot program and several individual projects to promote diversity in higher
education. The large program is our Minority Ph.D. Program through which we
endeavor to increase the numbers of underrepresented minority students
earning Ph.D.s in mathematics, science, and engineering by 100 per year over baseline numbers.
The small program is our American Indian Graduate Program through which we endeavor to
increase the numbers of American Indian students earning master and Ph.D. degrees in
mathematics, science, and engineering by creating regional centers where numerous American
Indian students are pursuing these degrees. The new pilot program is the Sloan Postdoctoral
Achievement Fellowship Pilot Program through which we and our partners (the National Science
Foundation APEG Program, the National Institute of General Medical Science and the National
Action Council for Minorities in Engineering) seek to position underrepresented minority Ph.D.s
to compete successfully for faculty positions at research universities. I will discuss each of these
programs briefly. If time allows, I will mention four individual projects.
VALARIE STANLEY
Moderator
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
WORKSHOP I
Disability Inclusion Programs
Room 9204
Workshop Leader:
Kathy McMahon-Klosterman, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
Miami University of Ohio
What constitutes a robust disability inclusion program, not only for students,
but also for staff and faculty? This workshop will discuss successful programs
and best practices.
WORKSHOP II
Student Diversity Initiatives
Room 9206
Workshop Leader:
John Matlock, Associate Vice Provost and Director, Academic and
Multicultural Initiatives, University of Michigan
How can universities promote educational opportunity and inclusive
admissions at the undergraduate level and build successful pipelines from
K-12 institutions? This workshop will discuss specific initiatives and programs
that have been successful in these areas.
12:30 to 2:00 pm
Plenary Luncheon
Concourse Level
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Moderator: Henry Vance Davis, University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity
The City University of New York
FREEMAN A. HRABOWSKI, III
Keynote Speaker
“Transforming our Institutions: Diversity as a Mandate for
Excellence and Innovation”
President Hrabowski will speak about how institutional transformation around
diversity can occur, drawing both on his own experience at the University of
Maryland and on successful change initiatives across the country.
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
2:15 to 3:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions and Workshops
SESSION III
Negotiating the Legal Landscape in Higher Education:
Diversity Initiatives and the Law in the Coming Decade
Recital Hall Auditorium (Lobby Level)
Jonathan Alger, Vice President and General Counsel
Rutgers University
Laurie A. Carter, Vice President and General Counsel
The Juilliard School
Frederick Schaffer, Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel
The City University of New York
Moderator: Susan Rieger, Associate Provost, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
Columbia University
JONATHAN ALGER
The Legal Standards Governing Affirmative Action and
Diversity Programs: Past, Present, Future
This talk will address the current state of the law governing affirmative action and
other diversity programs which target minorities and women, their origins and
development, their vulnerabilities to the vicissitudes of changing regimes, and
their future viability in light of the presidential election results of November 4.
LAURIE A. CARTER
Diversity Programs for Faculty:
Developing a Set of Best Practices
This presentation will consider university and college programs that have
been successful in recruiting minorities and women faculty, analyzing the
reasons for their success, and identifying a set of best practices that other
schools might usefully adapt.
FREDERICK SCHAFFER
CUNY’s Black Male Initiative:
A Case Study in Affirmative Action
This presentation will focus on CUNY’s Black Male Initiative, an outreach program
designed to recruit and retain black male students on its undergraduate
campuses, looking at its origins, its content and structure, its outcomes, and
its probe by the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Education.
SUSAN RIEGER
Moderator
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
SESSION IV
Promoting Comprehensive Institutional Change:
Essential Elements of Campus-wide Diversity Initiatives
Segal Theater (Lobby Level)
Henry Vance Davis, University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity
The City University of New York
Mary Harper Hagan, Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Institutional Planning
St. John’s University
Judith D. Singer, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity
Harvard University
Moderator: Henry Vance Davis, University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity
The City University of New York
HENRY VANCE DAVIS
Faces in the Room: A Dialogue on Strategic Priorities and Initiatives for
Inclusive Excellence (DSPIIE) at The City University of New York
This presentation will address the theoretical underpinning of the DSPIIE
initiative, the strategies and challenges of the first three phases of the
initiative, and the implications of the strategies and challenges for moving
beyond the faces in the room.
MARY HARPER HAGAN
Commitment to the Value of Diversity: An Institutional Priority at
St. John’s University
This presentation will focus on St. John’s University’s inclusion of Commitment
to the Value of Diversity as an institutional priority in its 2004-08 strategic plan;
the President’s reconstitution of a university-wide Multicultural Advisory
Committee; the committee’s recommendations that were accepted by senior
leadership; the implementation of related University-wide initiatives; and the resulting
accomplishments and ongoing challenges.
JUDITH D. SINGER
Balancing Transformation with Tradition: Reflections from a new Senior
Vice Provost’s First 90 Days
While many universities have been successful in attracting and supporting
outstanding scholars through the generations, it has proven more challenging
to develop and implement more inclusive practices that will ensure a more
diverse community of scholars in the future. In this talk, I’ll describe some of
the lessons learned during my first few months on the job and discuss some new initiatives that
Harvard is trying with the goal of promoting comprehensive institutional change.
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
WORKSHOP III
Assessing Diversity Efforts
Room 9204
Workshop Leader:
Brenda Allen, Associate Provost and Director, Institutional Diversity
Brown University
This workshop will address specific ways universities can assess how
successfully they are meeting their diversity goals and identify the places in
the system where problems and roadblocks are emerging.
WORKSHOP IV
Setting Up Bridge Programs into Ph.D. or Professional Schools
Room 9206
Workshop Leader:
Dennis Mitchell, Associate Dean, College of Dental Medicine
Columbia University
Based on a highly successful program for increasing the number of underrepresented students matriculating in dental schools, this workshop will explain
the nuts and bolts of establishing community-based inclusion programs.
3:45 to 5:00 pm
Concurrent Sessions and Workshops
SESSION V
Advancing Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering:
New Strategies and Old Ones That Work
Recital Hall Auditorium (Lobby Level)
Dennis Dowdell, Vice President of Human Resources
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Michelle D. Nearon, Assistant Dean and Director, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University
David A. Ruth, Executive Director
Elsevier Foundation
Moderator: Stephanie Pfirman, Hirschorn Professor and Chair
Department of Environmental Science, Barnard College
DENNIS DOWDELL
Creating Opportunities for Women in Science
Dennis Dowdell will utilize his experience in the area of diversity to address
broad issues relating to women and science. He will focus on practical
solutions to problems such as how to create a pipeline of future women
science leaders and how to remove barriers that negatively impact the
advancement of women currently in science professions. Areas of discussion
will include strategic solutions for work/life balance, creating an inclusive culture, ideas for
creating a pipeline and the changing roles of leaders in science today.
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
MICHELLE D. NEARON
Mentoring, Faculty Development, and Retention
This talk will discuss the importance of one-on-one and group mentoring, with
a focus on both discovery guided mentoring and mentoring through the direct
transmission of information. Discovery guided mentoring encourages inquirybased learning. Some of the benefits for both approaches include: a greater
appreciation and understanding of the university hierarchy, professional
development, and a more timely understanding of the tenure process. Mentoring also leads to
networking and a shared sense of community.
DAVID A. RUTH
Elsevier Foundation Initiatives
When the Elsevier Foundation initiated a grant program aimed at women
scholars in the early stages of their academic careers, the focus was on
identifying particular challenges of balancing careers in academic science and
engineering with family responsibilities, then testing innovative ideas to address
those challenges. The issues that surfaced in grant proposals covered a range
of both expected and unexpected topics including: the dearth of funding to support childcare in
connection with academic conferences; recruiting two-career couples in science; particular
concerns of the post-doctoral fellow; and on-site support for family responsibilities. David Ruth
will talk about the reasons why a scientific publisher like Elsevier is concerned about these issues
and some of the early insights from the first year of the program.
STEPHANIE PFIRMAN
Moderator
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
SESSION VI
Minority Faculty: Perspectives on Diversity and
Institutional Transformation
Segal Auditorium (Lobby Level)
Herman L. Bennett, Associate Professor, African Diaspora and Latin American History
Rutgers University
Sharon Harley, Associate Professor of African American Studies
University of Maryland
Joseph Wilson, Professor of Political Science
Brooklyn College, The City University of New York
Moderator, Mekbib Gemeda, Assistant Dean, Diversity Affairs and Community Health
School of Medicine, New York University
HERMAN L. BENNETT
Diversity and American Liberalism
As the post-civil rights generation came of age it engaged civil society in the
professed wake of American liberalism. In what ways did this generation’s
navigation and participation in institutional life set America’s liberalism into
relief? By offering an institutional ethnography of the early and brief history of
liberalism, the talk will underscore the promises and limits of diversity in
academic life. The engagement of the broader faculty and minority faculty in institutional
diversity efforts will also be discussed.
SHARON HARLEY
Staying in Place: Black Women Faculty and Administrators and the
Transformation of the Academy
The presentation will include highlights from a recent essay by the speaker,
“The Politics of Memory and Place” in the Telling Histories: Black Women in
the Ivory Tower. The speaker will offer a personal account of her transition
from a black activist to joining the first large cohort of black women
historians and then her transition into academic administration. She will offer observations
about what lies ahead for the current generation of black women academics and discuss the
role the first generation played in establishing the groundwork for the current generation.
In the end, she will offer an account of whether the 2lst century academy is likely to offer
new/better/same/worse opportunities for the present generation of black women
faculty/administrators than it did for the first.
JOSEPH WILSON
Evaluating Diversity: Academic Vision, Administrative Leadership
and Institutional Resources
This presentation will examine the relationship between the administrative
vision of diversity and institutional leadership as reflected in strategic planning
and resource allocation. This approach suggests the need for both quantitative
and qualitative assessments measuring institutional transformation. When
framing institutional development and outcomes, it is important to link administrative rhetoric
extolling the enriching value of diversity with discernable results and resources.
MEKBIB GEMEDA
Moderator
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
SESSION VII
Strategies for Building Pathways into the Faculty
and into Academic Administration
Concourse Auditorium (Lower Level)
Leonard Baynes, Professor of Law
St. John’s University
David Ferguson, Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Technology and Society
Stony Brook University, State University of New York
Susan Sturm, George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Resposibility
Co-Director, Center for Institutional and Social Change
Columbia Law School
Moderator: Katherine Raftery, Vice President, Human Resources
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
LEONARD BAYNES
An Analysis of the Lack of Racial Diversity in the 15 New York State Law
Schools and What Can be Done About It
The Ronald H. Brown Center at St. John’s University School of Law has
analyzed the percentages of African Americans, Latinos/as, and Asian
Americans attending the 15 New York State law schools between 2000-2007.
The data show significant underrepresentation of Puerto Ricans and African
Americans and an increased 25th percentile median LSAT score. The Ronald H. Brown Center
has also operated a prep program for college students for the past four years that has allowed
students from first-generation backgrounds to increase their chances of being admitted to ABA
accredited law schools.
DAVID FERGUSON
Enhancing the Participation of Underrepresented Minorities in Graduate
Programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Stony Brook University has built a strong community of faculty, staff,
administrators, and students that supports the aim of increasing the
participation of underrepresented groups in STEM. In this presentation, we
will look at lessons learned at multiple levels of the University. Also, we will
highlight major accomplishments of the Stony Brook component of the NSF-supported SUNY
Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP).
SUSAN STURM
The Features of Sustainable and Transformative Bridge Programs
This talk will present and illustrate the features of cutting-edge initiatives that
effectively bridge the various transition points affecting access and
participation, and that have built institutional change and collaboration into
their design. It will also explore the role of institutional and professional
networks in sharing information, collaborating in pool development and
creating more effective pathway programs.
KATHERINE RAFTERY
Moderator
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
WORKSHOP V
Successful Mentoring Programs for Diverse Faculty
Room 9204
Workshop Leader:
Mary Childers, Ombudsperson
Dartmouth College
What kinds of mentoring programs have the greatest success in improving
retention rates and promoting the careers of untenured faculty, especially
those from under-represented groups? To identify successful strategies that
work in different institutional settings, this workshop will draw on research as
well as participants’ experience and questions.
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Making Excellence Inclusive
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
Henry Vance Davis, Co-Chair
Professor of History; University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity
The City University of New York
Jean Howard, Co-Chair
George Delacorte Professor in Humanities
Chair, Department of English and Comparative Literature
Columbia University
Caryn G. Doktor
Director of Human Resources
The Juilliard School
Candita C. Gual
Director of Special Projects
The City University of New York
Clover Hall
Vice President, Institutional Research and Academic Planning
St. John’s University
Michelle Keenan
Director of Employment
The Rockefeller University
Laila Maher
Director, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
Director, Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
Columbia University
Alison Scott-Williams
Associate Vice President for Diversity and Campus Life
The Juilliard School
e. Frances White
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
New York University
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
THE METRO NEW YORK & SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT HERC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Judith Chevalier, Yale University
Candace Collins, New York University
Henry Vance Davis, The City University of New York
Thomas A. Galard, St. John’s University
Candita C. Gual, The City University of New York
Jean Howard, Columbia University
Lynn Johnson, Stony Brook University
Michelle Keenan, The Rockefeller University
Carolyn Lanier, Western Connecticut State University
Laila Maher, Columbia University, (ex officio)
Katherine Raftery, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Shaun Smith, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Valarie Stanley, Yale University (Co-Chair)
e. Frances White, New York University (Co-Chair)
THE METRO NEW YORK & SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT HERC DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
Henry Vance Davis, The City University of New York (Chair)
Caryn G. Doktor, The Juilliard School
Candita Gual, The City University of New York
Clover Hall, St. John’s University
Jean Howard, Columbia University
Rick Morales, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Nancy Sobrito, Brookhaven National Laboratory
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
The City University of New York
Columbia University Office of the President
Columbia University Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives
Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
New England Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
New Jersey/Eastern Pennsylvania/Delaware Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
New York University
Upstate New York Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
Yale University
LUNCH SPONSORS
The City University of New York Office of Recruitment and Diversity
The City University of New York Office for Student Development
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
The Rockefeller University
We wish to thank The City University of New York and especially the office of Henry Davis,
University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity, for hosting this conference and for their
extraordinary contributions to its success.
The Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium
would like to give special thanks to The Juilliard School for its extensive help with the
planning and preparations for this conference.
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Panelists
Alger, Jonathan, Vice President and General Counsel, Rutgers University
Jonathan Alger is Vice President and General Counsel at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where he
oversees all legal affairs for the University and advises its governing boards and administration. He also teaches
an undergraduate course on higher education law and a first-year seminar on diversity issues. Before coming to
Rutgers, he was Assistant General Counsel at the University of Michigan, where he helped coordinate two
landmark admissions lawsuits in the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Alger previously served as counsel for the national
office of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in Washington, DC, and as an attorneyadvisor in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. He began his professional career in the
Labor and Employment Section at the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. Mr. Alger has given hundreds of
presentations on higher education law and policy for institutions and organizations throughout the United
States and in Canada, Germany, and the West Indies. He is the current Second Vice President nominee for the
National Association of College and University Attorneys, and has previously served on its Board of Directors.
He serves on advisory boards or teams for the College Board Access and Diversity Collaborative, Association of
American Universities, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Valuing Diversity initiative, and the University
of Vermont’s annual national conference on Legal Issues in Higher Education. Mr. Alger graduated with Honors
from Harvard Law School and High Honors from Swarthmore College.
Allen, Brenda, Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity, Brown University
Brenda A. Allen is Associate Provost and Director of Institutional Diversity at Brown University in Providence,
Rhode Island. She received her B.A. in 1981 from Lincoln University, PA. and her M.S. and Ph.D. from Howard
University in 1984 and 1988, respectively. From 1987 to 1990 she was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in
the departments of Psychology and African/African American Studies at Yale University. Allen went to Smith
College in 1990 where she was a Professor of Psychology. In 2000, she became the Assistant to the President
and Director of Institutional Diversity at Smith. Brenda joined the administration at Brown in July, 2003. She
also is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Africana Studies. At Smith College, Dr. Allen received the
Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Smith College President’s Award for the Promotion of the
Smith Design for Diversity. She has published widely in the area of culture and cognitive processing and she
is currently completing a book co-authored with A. Wade Boykin and Robert Jagers entitled The Psychology
of African American Experiences: Paradigms of the Past and Present.
Arthur, Carlotta M., Program Officer for Liberal Arts Colleges Programs, Mellon Foundation
Carlotta M. Arthur is a Program Officer in the Liberal Arts Colleges Program of the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation and has responsibility for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Appalachian
colleges. Carlotta came to the Foundation from Smith College, where she held a postdoctoral position in the
Departments of Afro-American Studies and Psychology. Prior to her appointment at Smith, she was an
assistant professor at Meharry Medical College, an HBCU, and was a W.K. Kellogg Minority Health Disparities
Scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health. Carlotta holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from SUNY Stony
Brook and is a licensed psychologist. She received a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University,
and prior to attending graduate school in psychology, worked for a decade as an engineer. Carlotta’s current
research focuses on psychosocial determinants, particularly psychological stress, of mental and physical
health among members of the African Diaspora.
Baynes, Leonard M., Professor of Law, St. John’s University School of Law
Leonard Baynes is a Professor of Law and Director of The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and
Economic Development at St. John’s University Law School. He teaches Business Organizations,
Communications Law, and Race and the Law. Professor Baynes received his B.S. from New York University
and J.D.-M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Immediately after law school, Professor Baynes served as a Law Clerk to Federal District Court Judge Clifford
Scott Green in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. From 1997 to 2001, Professor Baynes was hired by then-FCC
Chairman William E. Kennard to serve as a Scholar-in-Residence at the Federal Communications Commission.
Professor Baynes is the recipient of many awards. In October 2004, Professor Baynes was presented
The Extraordinary Service Award for his teaching, scholarship, and service by the Second National People of
Color Conference, and in July 2006, the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council inducted him into
its Hall of Fame. In 2007, in recognition of his contributions to the community and society, Professor Baynes
received the President’s Medal at the St. John’s University’s annual Vincentian Convocation.
Professor Baynes has written over twenty-five law review articles on race/racism and the law,
communications law, business law or the intersection of the three. In 2006, he signed a contract to co-author a
Communications Law casebook with Santa Clara Professors Allen Hammond IV and Catherine J.K. Sandoval.
Bennett, Herman L., Associate Professor, African Diaspora and Latin American History, Rutgers University
Herman L. Bennett is an Associate Professor of the African Diaspora and Latin American History at Rutgers
University and has been at Rutgers since 1997. His fellowships include being named a Mellon Scholar,
The Johns Hopkins University; a Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities; and a Faculty Fellow at the Rutgers
Center for Historical Analysis, 1997-1999, 2000-2001. His current book-length project offers a social historical
examination of free Afro-Mexican kinship practices in the mature and late colonial periods. As a kinship study,
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
he explores how a population neglected by scholars defined themselves as men and women, forged families
and established kin-based communities. These social practices defined the most intimate experiences of
Afro-Mexicans recently freed and increasingly distanced from slavery’s legacy. At its core, this study analyzes
how Afro-Mexicans-the largest free black population in the Americas from the seventeenth to the nineteenthconstructed communities based on kin and their elaborate kinship practices. Afro-Mexican gender relations,
desire and the use of the body-which collectively defined sexuality-along with the enforcement of Christian
morality occupy a central place in this study. The story that emerges about Afro-Mexican kinship ties and its
growing complexity in addition to the depth of that population’s genealogical memory underscores the need
for a re-assessment of slavery’s legacy. While in the seventeenth century, slavery’s legacy still lingered over the
Afro-Mexican experience-defined by slaves and freepersons alike-during the eighteenth century the shackles
of bondage were at best negligible. For the majority of eighteenth-century Afro-Mexicans slavery’s legacy,
understood as a form of ‘social death,’ had little influence on their kinship practices and the ways in which
they defined community. In many respects, this study examines how the descendants of slaves became
ordinary people and as such forged lives under colonialism. Bennett received his B.A. from the University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill and his Ph.D. from Duke University.
Bollinger, Lee C., President, Columbia University
Lee C. Bollinger is President of Columbia University and a member of the faculty of the Law School, positions
he has held since 2002. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Columbia Law School. After serving
as law clerk for Judge Wilfred Feinberg on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and
Chief Justice Warren Burger on the United States Supreme Court, he joined the faculty of the University of
Michigan Law School in 1973. In 1987 he was named Dean of the University of Michigan Law School, a
position he held for seven years. He became Provost of Dartmouth College and professor of government in
1994 and was named President of the University of Michigan in 1996.
His teaching and scholarly interests are focused on free speech and First Amendment issues. He has
published numerous books, articles, and essays in scholarly journals on these and other subjects, including
Eternally Vigilant: Free Speech in the Modern Era (2001), Images of a Free Press (1991), and The Tolerant
Society; Freedom of Speech and Extremist Speech in America (1986).
Mr. Bollinger is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American
Philosophical Society. He is an honorary fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. He serves on the board of
directors of the Federal Bank of New York and on the board of the Kresge Foundation. For his national
leadership in defending affirmative action in higher education, he received the National Humanitarian Award
from the National Conference for Community and Justice and the National Equal Justice Award from the
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. For his service to higher education, especially on matters
of freedom of speech and diversity, he was given the Clark Kerr Award, the highest award conferred by the
faculty of the University of California-Berkeley.
President Bollinger was born in Santa Rosa, California, and raised there and in Baker, Oregon. He is married to
Jean Magnano Bollinger, an artist with a studio in New York. They have two children, Lee and Carey.
Carter, Laurie A., Vice President and General Counsel, The Juilliard School
Laurie Carter is Vice President and General Counsel/Executive Director of Jazz Studies and a faculty member at
The Juilliard School. She oversees legal affairs and manages non-artistic aspects of the Jazz program.
Laurie has been instrumental in the development of new initiatives including the General Counsel’s office,
development of student affairs and residence life program, educational outreach initiatives, and a first year
student course. Laurie’s artistic activities include developing Juilliard Jazz in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln
Center, spear heading the development of The Academy, a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and
Weill Music Institute, and establishing collaborative programs in three states and five countries. Laurie was
named an outstanding woman of the Bar by the New York County Lawyers Association in 2004.
Childers, Mary, Ombudsperson, Dartmouth College
Mary Childers provides diversity and discrimination prevention training and policy guidance to colleges,
universities and independent schools. Since 2007 she has served as the part-time Ombudsperson at
Dartmouth College, where she previously served as Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
At Brandeis University she was Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and Senior Advisor to the Provost for
Academic Personnel. Dr. Childers brings to her work extensive experience in resolving conflict and helping
employees adjust to changes in the workplace. She is also the author of numerous articles on equity issues in
higher education and of Welfare Brat: A Memoir.
Clayton-Pedersen, Alma R, Vice President for Education and Institutional Renewal, AAC&U
Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen is Vice President for Education and Institutional Renewal at the Association of
American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). She is Co-Director of AAC&U Network for Academic Renewal (a
series of working conferences), and director of the Greater Expectations Institute as well as several grant-funded
projects that focus on organizational learning and sustaining change efforts. Dr. Clayton-Pedersen is a national
leader on issues of institutional change, particularly collaborative leadership, student preparedness for college
level work, retention and success, and linking diversity and academic excellence. She is co-author of Enacting
Diverse Learning Environments: Improving the Climate for Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education, which
provides a framework of the dimensions of campus climate and illustrations of promising practices to enhance
the climate for diversity. She has fifteen years of campus-based experience, including directing a significant
number of studies on student engagement and retention, and campus services. Her consulting expertise is on
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
diversity, success of underrepresented students, policy, organizational learning, and program development and
evaluation. Clayton-Pedersen received a B.S. from UW-Milwaukee in community education, and both the M.Ed.
in human development counseling and the Ph.D. in public policy from Vanderbilt.
Davis, Henry Vance, University Dean for Recruitment and Diversity, The City University of New York (CUNY)
Henry Vance Davis has more than twenty-five years of experience in diversity initiatives. He comes to CUNY
from Ramapo College in New Jersey, where he was Dean of the School of Social Science and Human Services
and Professor of History. Dr. Davis was a founding staff member of the University of Michigan’s Office for
Minority Affairs, the first African American Professor on tenure track in the History Department at Western
Michigan University, and the first African American Dean of a school in the history of Ramapo College of New
Jersey. During his service as Dean of the School of Social Science and Human Services at Ramapo he guided
the school through a complete curriculum overhaul, course load reduction, and a college-wide academic
restructuring. As a member of the President’s Strategic Planning Task Force, he was instrumental in the
establishment of Inclusive Excellence as a guiding principle and goal of the college’s most recent strategic
plan. While at Ramapo, he also served as Director of the college’s Africana Institute, for which he originated a
television series called “Issues and Education,” a forum for African-American scholars, the State of the
Africana Professoriate conference, and the New South Africa Study Abroad Program, an initiative he
developed to create opportunities for students to travel to South Africa. Dr. Davis holds a Ph.D. from the
University of Michigan in African-American History, an M.A., from the University of Michigan, and a B.S. from
Western Michigan University. He has been widely published and is a recognized expert in his field. Dr. Davis’
community service record includes numerous local and national initiatives. He is the author of an article about
the Black Action Movement (BAM) entitled, “The University Since BAM: Twenty Years of Progress” which led
to his involvement in the historic University of Michigan affirmative action cases: Gratz v. Bollinger and
Grutter v. Bollinger. CUNY’s goals, as outlined in its master plan, include “a continuing commitment to
workforce diversity and development” in order to “reflect the unique populations that the University
serves...” It is anticipated that over the next few years, the University will have an unprecedented opportunity
to build its workforce, especially within the faculty ranks. Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Faculty and
Staff Relations and working closely with the Chancellor and the University Office of Academic Affairs, Dr.
Davis provides leadership for the University’s faculty recruitment and retention with a special emphasis on
diversity and academic excellence.
Dowdell, Dennis, Vice President, Human Resources, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Dennis Dowdell, Jr., has been named Vice President, Human Resources, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center. He comes to the Center from The Executive Leadership Council in Washington, DC, a not-for-profit
corporation composed of senior African-American executives serving in Fortune 500 companies. As executive
director of the Council’s Institute for Leadership Development & Research, he was involved in creating
leadership development initiatives, research, and strategic plans focused on developing diverse senior and
executive corporate leaders, board members, corporate diversity, and related business issues. Previously,
Mr. Dowdell held positions as president of The National Association of Black Automotive Suppliers; vice
president of Human Resources for the Longaberger Company; and corporate vice president, Human
Resources for Henry Ford Health System (HFHS). At HFHS he led a 100-person staff responsible for
employment, recruitment, training and development, benefits, compensation, human resources information
technology, regulatory affairs, succession planning, and broad-based initiatives in organizational
development and change. During eight years as an attorney with the US Department of Labor, Mr. Dowdell
focused on legislative and legal issues related to employee benefits, equal pay, age discrimination,
occupational safety and health matters, and other labor statutes. Mr. Dowdell holds a law degree from
Cleveland State University College of Law and is licensed to practice law in several states and before several
US Courts of Appeals, and has had cases argued before the US Supreme Court. He earned his bachelor’s
degree in education cum laude at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and was awarded an
honorary doctorate from that institution. He has served on several national boards, including nonprofit
organizations, and as vice chairman of The National Alzheimer’s Association.
Downey, Geraldine, Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives and Professor of Psychology, Columbia University
Geraldine Downey is the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives at Columbia University. In this role, she
coordinates efforts across all schools within the university to enhance the diversity of its faculty,
administrators, and officers of research, with a particular focus the sciences. Vice Provost Downey is also a
Professor in the Department of Psychology where she was chair and serves as the Director of the Social
Relations Laboratory. An award-winning developmental psychologist, Vice Provost Downey studies the
personal, interpersonal, and intergroup consequences of exposure to rejection and marginalizations as well
as interventions that can help people overcome vulnerabilities acquired through such exposure. Vice Provost
Downey’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the W.T. Grant Foundation,
and the Russell Sage Foundation. Her scholarship has been published in a number of leading scholarly
journals, including Psychological Science, Child Development, the Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Vice Provost Downey received her Ph.D. from
Cornell University.
Ferguson, David, Distinguished Service Professor of Technology and Society, Stony Brook University
Dr. David L. Ferguson is Distinguished Service Professor of Technology and Society and Applied Mathematics
at Stony Brook University. He is Chair of the Department of Technology and Society in the College of
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Engineering and Applied Sciences. Dr. Ferguson has been P.I. or Co-P.I. on numerous projects, including
several NSF projects, aimed at improving undergraduate and graduate education in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM). He is faculty contributor in the calculus reform movement. He codirected the NSF-supported Algorithm Discovery Development Project and two NSF-funded Faculty
Enhancement workshops on the teaching of introductory computer science courses. Under support from the
Sloan Foundation, he developed a course in applications of mathematics for liberal arts students. He codesigned and co-taught a multidisciplinary course, jointly offered by Biological Sciences and the College of
Engineering and Applied Sciences, on Computer Modeling of Biological Systems. He was Co-P.I. on a
multi-campus project, funded by NSF, on Mathematical Sciences and Their Applications Throughout the
Curriculum. He is coordinator for the Math and Computer Science cluster of Science Education for New Civic
Engagement and Responsibility (SENCER), an NSF-funded National Dissemination grant. He was Co-P.I. on a
project entitled “Real-time Multidimensional Assessment of Student Learning” funded by NSF’s Program in
the Assessment of Student Achievement in Undergraduate Education. Also, he was Co-P.I. on a project on
Innovative Approaches to Human-Computer Interfaces, funded by the Combined Research and Curriculum
Development Program of NSF. Professor Ferguson is Director of the NSF-funded SUNY LSAMP and SUNY
AGEP programs. His research includes quantitative modeling, problem solving, educational technologies,
and decision making. His awards include the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and
Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), the Archie Lacey Award of the New York Academy of Sciences, and the
Engineering Educator Award of the Joint Committee on Engineering of Long Island.
Gemeda, Mekbib, Assistant Dean, Diversity Affairs and Community Health School of Medicine,
New York University
Mekbib Gemeda is the Assistant Dean for Diversity Affairs and Community Health and an Adjunct Assistant
Professor of Social Medicine at NYUMC. He is responsible for advancing NYUMC’s mission to promote
diversity and cultural competency in medicine by developing and managing programs to cultivate a diverse
talent in medicine and to better meet the mission of NYUMC to provide excellent education, research and
patient care. Dean Gemeda also serves as Associate Director of the NYU Institute of Community Health and
Research and Director of the Institute’s Center for the Health of the African Diaspora. Dean Gemeda cochairs the Dean’s Council on Institutional Diversity, a body charged with assessing and providing
recommendations to enhance diversity in all areas of the Medical Center.
Mekbib Gemeda has been involved for over a decade in national and local efforts to reduce health
disparities and increase diversity in Biomedicine. Before coming to NYU he was involved in developing a
vibrant federally funded biomedical research center and successful faculty and graduate student recruitment
and retention programs at Hunter College of the City University of New York. He was also involved in
developing the largest national online network of minorities in science, justgarciahill.org. Mekbib Gemeda
has taught graduate courses in cross-cultural communication. His international engagement includes work
during the war in the former Yugoslavia. Dean Gemeda serves on various local and national committees
including the steering committee of the Go Green initiative of the Manhattan Borough President, the Board
of the Manhattan Staten Island Area Health Education Centers, and the Advisory Group of the Association
of American Medical Colleges to Address Diversity and Disparities in Biomedical Research.
Greenwood, Ted, Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Ted Greenwood joined the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 1992 and serves as a Program Director. His areas
of responsibility include performance assessment of municipal governments; retention of students in higher
education; increasing Ph.D.s for underrepresented minorities in mathematics, science, and engineering;
promoting women in science and engineering; and other programs for women and minorities, civic projects,
and selected national issues. Prior to joining the Sloan Foundation as a Program Director in 1992, Ted
Greenwood spent eight years as Director of the International Security Policy Program of Columbia
University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Between 1974 and 1984 he was Assistant and then
Associate Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For two years, from 1977
to 1979, while on leave from M.I.T., he served as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of Science and
Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. Dr. Greenwood received a B.Sc. in physics from
the University of Toronto, and an S.M. in physics and a Ph.D. in Political Science from M.I.T. He was the winner
of the James Loudon Gold Medal in Mathematics and Physics at the University of Toronto in 1967 and a
Woodrow Wilson Fellow during 1967-1968. He has written and published widely on U.S. and NATO defense
and arms control policy; environmental, health and safety regulation; and domestic and international energy
policy, especially nuclear power and nuclear waste management. Dr. Greenwood has served as a consultant
to the Institute for National Security Studies, National Defense University, 1988-1992; Pacific-Sierra Research
Corporation, 1985-1992; the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 1981; the State Planning Council on
Radioactive Waste Management, 1980-1981; the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of
the President, 1977 and 1979-1980; and the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1976-1977. He
has served on the Task Force on the FY 1992 - FY 1997 Defense Plan of the Defense Budget Project, 1991; the
Technical Advisory Panel on Evaluation of Alternative Low-Level Waste Disposal Systems of the Department
of Nuclear Safety, State of Illinois, 1985-1989; the Committee on Nuclear Safety Research of the National
Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, 1985-86; the Advisory Panel on Cleanup of Uncontrolled
Waste Sites Under Superfund of the Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress, 1983-1984; the
Committee on Institutional Means for the Assessment of Risk to Public Health of the National Academy of
Sciences, National Research Council, 1982; and the Panel on Peaceful Nuclear Explosions of the U.S. Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency, 1975.
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Hagan, Mary Harper, Senior Vice President for Human Resources, Institutional Planning & Institutional
Research, St. John’s University
Ms. Harper Hagan has been in the field of human resources management for the past twenty-four years.
Prior to joining St. John’s University as the Vice President for Human Resources in 1999, she spent 15 years at
JP Morgan Chase in various human resources leadership positions and spearheaded a number of diversity
initiatives. Ms. Harper Hagan assumed responsibility for Strategic Planning at St. John’s in 2002 and has led
the University’s planning committees through the successful completion of a 2004-2008 Strategic Plan, with a
new planning cycle underway. Ms. Harper Hagan is a graduate of Trinity University in Washington, D.C.,
where she earned a B.A. degree in English literature, a year of which was spent at the University College Cork
in Ireland. Ms. Harper Hagan also completed course work toward a master’s degree at Cornell’s Industrial
Labor Relations program offered through Baruch College in New York City.
Hall, Clover, Vice President, Institutional Research and Academic Planning, St. John’s University
Clover Hall holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of the West
Indies, (Mona), Jamaica; a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University; and a Doctorate in
Educational Administration from Fordham University. Dr. Hall has been at St. John’s University since 1994,
initially as the Director of Institutional Research. She became an Assistant Vice President in 1998 and an
Associate Vice President in 2001. Since 2004 she has served as the Vice President of Institutional Research
and Academic Planning, and a member of the Provost’s Council and the Executive Planning Committee.
She is also an adjunct faculty member occasionally teaching courses in Statistics and Research Methods.
Her professional affiliations include membership in the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and the
Society for College and University Planning (SCUP). Dr. Hall’s experience encompasses both the corporate
and non-profit world. Prior to coming to St. John’s she served as Director of the Data & Information Center
and later Director of Institutional Research at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York; a Staff Manager at
AT&T; and an Operations Manager at JCPenney. She is a member of the Center for Latin American and
Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at St. John’s and recently contributed a Chapter on Recent Patterns of
Immigrants in New York City to the CLACS publication The Immigrant Experience in New York City: A
Resource Guide. She has served on many dissertation committees for doctoral students, and as a mentor in
the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program. She is an active member of many committees at the University
including the President’s Multicultural Advisory Committee, the Academic Planning Committee, and the
Vincentian Mission Council. She was the recipient of an Outstanding Administrator Award in 2003, and the
Vincentian Mission Award in 2007.
Harley, Sharon, Associate Professor and Chair, African American Studies Department, University of Maryland
Dr. Sharon Harley, associate professor and chair of the African American Studies Department at the University
of Maryland, College Park, researches and teaches black women’s labor history and racial and gender
politics. She is the editor and a contributor to the noted anthologies Sister Circle: Black Women and Work
(Rutgers, 2002) and Women’s Labor in the Global Economy: Speaking in Multiple Voices (Rutgers, 2008); her
most recent essay appears in Telling Histories: Black Women Historians in the Ivory Tower (UNC Press, 2008).
She has been a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and, in the spring of 2008, at
the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University, where she
worked on her historical monograph about gender, labor, and citizenship in the lives of African Americans in
the United States from the 1860s to 1920s.
Howard, Jean, George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities,
Chair, Department of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University
Jean Howard received her B.A. from Brown (1970); her M.Phil. from the University of London (Marshall Fellow
1972); and her Ph.D. from Yale (Danforth Fellow 1975). Professor Howard began teaching at Syracuse in 1975,
where she received the first University-wide Wasserstrom Prize for excellence as teacher and mentor of
graduate students; she has also received Guggenheim, NEH, Mellon, Folger and Newberry Library
fellowships. In 2003-04 she was the Avery Distinguished Fellow at the Huntington Library in Pasadena,
California. Her teaching interests include Shakespeare, Tudor and Stuart drama, Early Modern poetry,
modern drama, feminist and Marxist theory, and the history of feminism. Prof. Howard is on the editorial
board of Shakespeare Quarterly, Shakespeare Studies, and Renaissance Drama. She has published essays on
Shakespeare, Pope, Ford, Heywood, Dekker, Marston, and Jonson, as well as on aspects of contemporary
critical theory including new historicism, Marxism, and issues in feminism. Her books include Shakespeare’s
Art of Orchestration (1984); Shakespeare Reproduced: The Text in History and Ideology, edited with Marion
O’Connor (1987); The Stage and Struggle in Early Modern England (1994); with Phyllis Rackin, Engendering a
Nation: A Feminist Account of Shakespeare’s English Histories (1997); Marxist Shakespeares, edited with
Scott Shershow (2000); and four generically organized Companions to Shakespeare, edited with Richard
Dutton (2001). She is co-editor of The Norton Shakespeare (1997; second edition 2008) and General Editor of
the Bedford Contextual Editions of Shakespeare. Her most recent book, entitled Theater of a City: The Places
of London Comedy 1598-1642, was published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2006 and has just won
the Bernard Hewitt Prize for the Outstanding Book in Theater History in 2007. She is currently working on a
book on the feminist dramatist Caryl Churchill and another book on the development of Rennaissance
Tragedy. From 1996 – 1999 Professor Howard directed the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and
in 1999-2000 she was as President of the Shakespeare Association of America. From 2004 to 2007, Professor
Howard served as Columbia’s first Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives. She is currently serving as Chair of
Columbia’s Department of English and Comparative Literature.
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Hrabowski, Freeman A. III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, has served as President of UMBC (The University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
since May, 1992. His research and publications focus on science and math education, with special emphasis
on minority participation and performance.
He serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and
universities and school systems nationally. He also sits on several corporate and civic boards. Examples
include the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Constellation
Energy Group, the France-Merrick Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation (Chair), McCormick &
Company, Inc., and the Urban Institute.
Examples of recent awards or honors include election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and
the American Philosophical Society; receiving the prestigious McGraw Prize in Education; the U.S.
Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring; the Columbia
University Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service; being named a Fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and Marylander of the Year by the editors of the Baltimore Sun;
and being listed among Fast Company magazine’s first Fast 50 Champions of Innovation in business and
technology. He also holds a number of honorary degrees, including most recently from Haverford College,
Princeton University, Duke University, the University of Illinois, the University of Alabama-Birmingham,
Gallaudet University, Goucher College, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Binghamton University.
He has co-authored two books, Beating the Odds and Overcoming the Odds (Oxford University Press),
focusing on parenting and high-achieving African American males and females in science. Both books are
used by universities, school systems, and community groups around the country.
A child-leader in the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Hrabowski was prominently featured in Spike Lee’s 1997
documentary, Four Little Girls, on the racially motivated bombing in 1963 of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street
Baptist Church.
Born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Hrabowski graduated at 19 from Hampton Institute with highest
honors in mathematics. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he received his M.A. (mathematics)
and four years later his Ph.D. (higher education administration/statistics) at age 24.
Kelly, William P., President, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York
William P. Kelly was appointed president of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York on July 1,
2005. From 1998 through June 2005, he served as the Graduate Center’s provost and senior vice president, a
tenure that was marked by the recruitment of a remarkable cadre of internationally renowned scholars to the
school’s faculty.
A distinguished American literature scholar and an expert on the works of James Fenimore Cooper,
Dr. Kelly’s books include Plotting America’s Past: Fenimore Cooper and the Leatherstocking Tales (Southern
Illinois University Press), and a work in progress, Exhibiting Nature: Scientific Culture and The American
Museum of Natural History. His numerous articles and reviews have appeared in a broad range of
publications including the New York Times Book Review, The American Scholar, and the Journal of Western
History, and he is the editor of the Random House edition of The Selected Works of Washington Irving and
the Oxford University Press edition of The Pathfinder.
Dr. Kelly graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1971, where he won the David Bowers
Prize in American Studies. He was named Outstanding Graduate Student in English at Indiana University,
where he received his Ph.D. in 1976. Dr. Kelly also holds a diploma in intellectual history from Cambridge
University and in 1980 received a Fulbright Fellowship to France, where he subsequently became visiting
professor at the University of Paris. He was also executive director of the CUNY/Paris Exchange Program and,
in 2003, was named Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the French Ministry of Education in
recognition of his contributions to Franco-American educational and cultural relations.
On the faculty of CUNY’s Queens College from 1976 to 1998, he was named Queens College’s Golden
Key Honor Society Teacher of the Year in 1994. He was appointed concurrently to the faculty of the Graduate
Center’s Ph.D. Program in English in 1986 and served as the program’s executive officer from 1996 to 1998.
Kenny, Shirley Strum, President, Stony Brook University
Dr. Shirly Strum Kenny is the first woman and first humanist to serve as President of Stony Brook University.
After a distinguished career as a literary scholar, teacher, and academic administrator, she came to Stony
Brook as its fourth President in 1994. Since then, she has worked to strengthen the core academic and
research operations of the University, fostered close links with business and industry, and established new
working relationships with the Long Island community.
Concerned about the state of undergraduate education at major research universities, Dr. Kenny headed
a national initiative to address the issue. She launched and chaired the Boyer Commission on Educating
Undergraduates in the Research University with funding from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching. The Commission’s report, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s
Research Universities (1998), advocated a model of education that would engage students with the resources
unique to such institutions and lead them to conduct research themselves. Stony Brook is currently
reorganizing its undergraduate curriculum along the lines recommended by the Boyer Report.
Total enrollment at Stony Brook University has increased from 17,000 to 23,000 during Dr. Kenny’s
presidency; faculty numbers are up 8%. In 2003, the average SAT scores of incoming freshmen rose above 1200.
In 2007 Dr. Kenny received the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, honoring Fulbright alumni whose
distinguished careers and civic and cultural contributions have sought to expand the boundaries of human
wisdom, empathy, and perception. She was a Fulbright Fellow to the United Kingdom in 1957.
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Prior to her tenure at Stony Brook, Dr. Kenny was President of Queens College from 1985 to 1994. There
she established the Business and Liberal Arts Program, the Journalism Program, the Asian American Center,
the Louis Armstrong House and Archives Project, the Michael Harrington Center, and the Center for the
New American Workforce.
She serves on the JPMorgan Chase Metropolitan Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Goodwill
Industries of Greater New York, the Long Island Association, and the Institute for Student Achievement.
She has previously served as vice-chair of the Maryland Humanities Council, chair of the Folger Shakespeare
Library Institute Central Executive Committee, steering committee member of the executive board of the
American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, board member of the American Handel Society, chair of
the Association for American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and board member of the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Dr. Kenny published five books and numerous articles in the field of Restoration and eighteenth-century
British drama. Her two-volume scholarly edition of the dramatic works of George Farquhar was published by
Oxford University Press.
Dr. Kenny has taught at the University of Texas, Gallaudet University, the Catholic University of America,
the University of Delaware, and the University of Maryland. At Maryland, she was successively Chair of the
Department of English and Provost of Arts and Humanities. Dr. Kenny holds bachelor’s degrees in English
and Journalism from the University of Texas, an M.A. from the University of Minnesota, a Ph.D. from the
University of Chicago, and honorary doctorates from the University of Rochester, and Chonnam National,
Dongguk, Konkuk, and Ajou Universities in Korea.
She has been honored as Outstanding Woman at the University of Maryland, Outstanding Alumna at the
University of Chicago, Outstanding Alumna of the College of Communications at the University of Texas, and
Distinguished Alumna at the University of Texas.
Dr. Kenny is married to Dr. Robert W. Kenny. They have five children and four grandchildren.
Maher, Laila, Director, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action; Director, Metro New York &
Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, Columbia University
Laila Maher joined Columbia University in February 2004 and is currently Director of Equal Opportunity
and Affirmative Action. As Director, Ms. Maher handles complaints of discrimination and sexual
harassment and addresses issues of equal opportunity and affirmative action compliance. In December
2005, she joined the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives as the first Director of the Metro
New York and Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. Before joining Columbia
University, she served as Program Director of the New York City Bar Association City Bar Justice Center’s
Legal Clinic for the Homeless where, in addition to her own caseload, she trained and supervised
volunteer attorneys and law students in providing legal representation and advocacy to homeless families
and individuals in the areas of public assistance, public housing, and transitional benefits. She also
represented clients through the City Bar Justice Center’s Refugee Assistance Project and Elderlaw
Project on a pro bono basis.
Prior to joining the City Bar Justice Center, Ms. Maher was a Staff Attorney at Housing Conservation
Coordinators, where she represented low income rent-regulated tenants of Manhattan’s Clinton Special
District (Hell’s Kitchen) in Housing Court. Ms. Maher is a member of the Board of Directors of the Social
and Economic Rights Action Center, a Nigeria based human rights group, and has worked at both the
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. She earned a
B.A. from the University of Missouri – Kansas City; a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law,
where she was a Fellow at the Urban Morgan Institute of Human Rights Studies and staff editor of the
Human Rights Quarterly; and a graduate diploma in Development, Law and Social Justice from the
Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Matlock, John, Associate Vice Provost and Director, Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives,
University of Michigan
As Director of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI), Dr. Matlock manages research
programs, multicultural activities, pre-college initiatives, student leadership training, and academic
enrichment activities. The OAMI involves a large number of students with its own programs and supports
student-initiated academic and multicultural programming. As Associate Vice Provost, he provides leadership
in developing and implementing the multicultural goals of the University and maintains active relationships
with the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti and Detroit communities. Prior to returning to the University of Michigan in
1990, Dr. Matlock served nearly a decade as chief of staff to U.S. Representative John Conyers of Michigan
and U.S. Representative Harold Ford of Tennessee. Dr. Matlock was also Director of Institutional l Research
and Planning at Tennessee State University and Director of the University of Michigan’s Community Relations
Office. He received his B.S. from Ferris State University, and his M.A. in Journalism and Ph.D. in Higher
Education both from the University of Michigan. Dr. Matlock has traveled extensively, particularly in West
Africa and the Caribbean. He is actively involved in writing and research activities, as well as political
consulting. A strong believer in grassroots politics, he is particularly interested in helping communities and
social organizations develop strategies to strengthen their political effectiveness.
McMahon-Klosterman, Kathy, Professor and Program Coordinator for Special Ed., Dept. of Educational
Psychology, Miami University
Dr. McMahon-Klosterman has taught at Miami University for many years in the area of Special Education.
Her focus is in developing literacy skills in struggling readers and supporting inclusive classrooms. She also
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
teaches courses in the new Disability Studies minor and in Women’s Studies. She encourages authentic praxis
through activism. Dr. McMahon-Klosterman is a trained mediator in Conflict Resolution and works with public
schools to develop these critical thinking skills in children.
Mitchell, Dennis, Associate Dean and Associate Professor, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University
Dr. Mitchell is the Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs and the Director of Community-Based
Dental Education at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. He is responsible for the dental
schools’ six diversity programs targeted for training, faculty development and student enrollment, and
coordinates the community-based service program’s site directors for the rotation of the pre-doctoral and
post-graduate dental students. Dr. Mitchell has a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor in Clinical
Dentistry in the Division of Community Health, Section of Social and Behavioral Studies, and the Division of
Periodontics, Section of Oral and Diagnostic Sciences.
Dr. Mitchell previously served as the Director of the Harlem component of the Community DentCare
Network and the Director of Research and Community Dentistry at the Harlem Hospital Center Department
of Dentistry for nine years. In this role, he was responsible for the development and implementation of
Columbia’s offsite dental service programs in Harlem, now responsible for over 20,000 patient visits annually.
Dr. Mitchell began his research career at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine as a clinical
investigator studying the Oral Manifestations of HIV Disease in Different Risk Groups. His current research
interests include the Oral Health Status of Minority Children and Adults in Northern Manhattan and the
Effects of Periodontal Therapy Intervention on Preterm Birth. Dr. Mitchell served as the Co-Principal
Investigator for the enrollment site at Columbia University for the NIH/NIDCR-funded Obstetrics and
Periodontal Therapy (OPT) multi-center randomized clinical trial to study the effects of periodontal therapy
on preterm birth.
Dr. Mitchell’s wide-ranging professional activities have led to his selection for numerous awards and
speaking engagements. Most recently, Dr. Mitchell was acknowledged for his Outstanding Contributions to
Health Professions Education at the 2007 meeting of the National Association of Minority Medical Educators’
Northeast Region and the OPT research team has been selected to receive the American Academy of
Periodontology’s 2007 Clinical Research Award. Dr. Mitchell has also been a weekly contributor to the
nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show, serving as an oral health spokesperson to the Morning
Show’s listening audience.
Dr. Mitchell received his B.A. degree in Neurobiology and Behavior from the Cornell University College of
Arts and Sciences in 1986. He received his D.D.S. degree from the Howard University College of Dentistry in
1989, and his M.P.H. degree in Executive Health Services Management from the Columbia University School
of Public Health in 1996.
Moore, Garrie W., Vice Chancellor for Student Development, The City University of New York
Dr. Garrie W. Moore is Vice Chancellor for Student Development for the CUNY System. He holds Doctorate
and Masters degrees in Education with a minor in Public Administration. He is a graduate of the Harvard
University School of Education Institute for Educational Management and has over 30 years of experience in
Student Life, Retention/Attrition, Crime on Campus, Student Health, Academic Instruction, and Health
Sciences. Dr. Moore has been responsible for the preparation and implementation of EEO programs and
compliance with federal laws. He has presented papers, seminars, and workshops on economic
development, poverty, and crime issues that affect college and community life. Currently, Dr. Moore is
responsible for a broad range of activities to enhance student life on the college campus which encompass
developing educational programs that support student matriculation within the CUNY System and beyond.
The first African-American to be named Vice Chancellor at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.,
Moore was senior Vice Chancellor and served on the Chancellor’s Executive Council. He was responsible for,
among other things, housing, dining, recreational services, and counseling services.
Prior to Moore’s career at East Carolina University; he worked at Pitt Community College in Greenville,
N.C. for over 20 years where he was instrumental in the establishment of the Radiologic Technology Program
and served as Department Chairman. He further served as Dean of Students working closely with student
organizations.
Dr. Moore has worked with the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and Western Carolina
University to establish a comprehensive outreach program to offer high school students in poor, rural areas
increased access to educational and economic resources to impact student achievement. Additionally, Moore
served as Chair of the UNC Campus Environment Task Force where campus safety is being studied. Active in
the community, Moore’s past and present service includes, but is not limited to, Boys and Girls Club, United
Way, Chamber of Commerce, 100 Black Men of America, Pitt Greenville Airport Authority, American Heart
Association, American Cancer Association, North Carolina Public Policy Board, Bachelor Benedict Club,
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the Mediation Centers of Eastern NC board of directors, the Southern Bank board
of directors, Community in Schools, and the Pitt County Partnership Consortium. His many honors include
the 2000 Chancellor’s Synergy Award and the Black Alumni of the Year Award.
Nearon, Michelle, Assistant Dean and Director, Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity,
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University
Dr. Michelle Nearon received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and Brooklyn Polytechnic University, respectively. After completing her master’s
degree she devoted approximately ten years to both the aerospace and automotive industries, beginning
as a research engineer and ultimately becoming a general manager. She then returned to academia and
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
received a Ph.D. from Stony Brook University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering in May 2000. After
graduating Dr. Nearon remained at Stony Brook University until June 2008 as an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Mechanical Engineering. She also simultaneously served as the Director of Recruitment and
Diversification for the University’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Dr. Nearon joined Yale University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in July 2008 and is the Assistant
Dean and Director for the Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
In April 2006, Dr. Nearon was invited to serve on, and continues to serve on, the Board of Directors for the
Bethpage Federal Credit Union; a $3 Billion financial institution. She serves on several committees and during
the May 2008 annual meeting she was nominated to chair the Information Systems Committee.
Pfirman, Stehpanie, Hirschorn Professor and Chair Department of Environmental Science, Barnard College
Dean Pfirman chairs the Faculty Grants Committee, works closely with the Provost and the Office of
Institutional Support to expand funding opportunities for curricular and faculty development efforts, and
serves as the Provost’s representative to the BLAIS committee. She also supports interdisciplinary and
multidisciplinary approaches to the curriculum and research areas. Dean Pfirman is also Professor and
Department Chair of Environmental Science. She received her B.A. from Colgate University and her Ph.D. in
Marine Geology and Geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She joined the Provost’s
Office in July 2008.
Raftery, Katherine, Vice President, Human Resources, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Katie Raftery is currently the Vice President of Human Resources for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In this
position, she is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the Human Resources
organization, including benefits, compensation, recruiting and retention, employee relations and
competence development. Ms. Raftery has 30 years of experience in human resources and administration,
having held senior human and administrative positions in the telecommunications, legal and financial
services industries. Ms. Raftery graduated from Bard College with a degree in English and has a masters in
counseling from Hofstra University. She holds lifetime certification as a Senior Professional in Human
Resources and is a member of both the local and national chapters of the Society of Human Resource
Professionals and serves on the Executive Committee of the Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher
Education Recruitment Consortium.
Rieger, Susan, Associate Provost, Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Columbia University
Susan Rieger is Associate Provost for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at Columbia University. In this
position, she oversees and manages the University’s equal opportunity, nondiscrimination and affirmative
policies and procedures, and coordinates compliance activities for all applicable federal, state and local laws.
Previously, she was Dean of Ezra Stiles College at Yale University, a lecturer in legal studies at Mount Holyoke
and Hampshire Colleges, and an instructor at Brooklyn Law School. She has also served as a volunteer
attorney handling death penalty cases at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta and worked as a
freelance journalist. She has a JD from Columbia University Law School where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone
Scholar and teaching fellow to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Rose, John, Dean for Diversity and Compliance, Hunter College, The City University of New York (CUNY)
John Rose is responsible for developing and implementing a college-wide program to recruit individuals
from underrepresented groups as faculty, senior administrators and staff. He also works closely with student
groups to address diversity issues on campus, and is responsible for investigating employee complaints
involving alleged discrimination based on protected status. Mr. Rose has had a successful career in the
private sector managing a wide variety of human resources and employee relations matters. Previously he
was Vice President for Human Resources at ABC, and prior to that he held the same position at ESPN.
From 1994 to 1999, he was the National Basketball Association’s Senior Vice President for Player Relations
and Administration. He is a graduate of Hunter College and Harvard Law School.
Ruth, David A., Executive Director, The Elsevier Foundation
David Ruth is Senior Vice President, Global Communications for Elsevier, where he is responsible for external
and internal communications and corporate philanthropic programs worldwide.
Previously, he was with Merck & Co., Inc., where he had primary responsibility for corporate external
communications, corporate responsibility, corporate advertising, employee communications, publishing,
and the Merck Company Foundation.
Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Ruth held positions with MasterCard International, the U.S. Department of
State, where he held the appointment of Senior Coordinator for Business Affairs and the American Express
Company, where he held a number of positions in Asia, Europe and North America.
Mr. Ruth earned a Master’s degree from the Columbia University School of International Affairs, with a
specialization in international economics, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Schaffer, Frederick, Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, The City University of New York
(CUNY)
Frederick P. Schaffer is General Counsel and Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs of The City University of
New York. In this position, he is responsible for providing legal counsel to the Board of Trustees, the
Chancellor and the University on a wide range of issues and supervising a legal department of 15 lawyers.
Mr. Schaffer also serves as General Counsel to the CUNY Construction Fund, a public authority that finances
Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
capital construction at the University. Previously, Mr. Schaffer was a litigation partner in the law firm of Schulte
Roth & Zabel LLP, where he specialized in commercial and securities litigation and employment law. Earlier in
his career, Mr. Schaffer served as Counsel to Mayor Koch, Chief of Litigation in the Office of the Corporation
Counsel of the City of New York and Assistant U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. He also was an Associate
Professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Mr. Schaffer recently served as Chairman of the Legal
Aid Society and is currently a Trustee of the Practising Law Institute. He has previously served as Chairman of
NYC Public/Private Initiatives, Inc. and a Director of the University Settlement Society. He is also active in the
Association of the Bar of the City of New York, where he has served as a member of a number of committees,
including the Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee and as Chairman of the Committee on
Education and the Law. Mr. Schaffer received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from Harvard College and
his J.D. degree magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law
Review. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Francis L. Van Dusen, Circuit Judge on the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Singer, Judith D., Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, Harvard University
Judith D. Singer, James Bryant Conant Professor of Education at Harvard University, was named Harvard’s
Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity in July 2008. In this role, Singer and her team
systematically collect, analyze and disseminate data on faculty appointments and develop, implement and
evaluate University-wide programs designed to improve faculty life, especially for junior faculty and for women
and members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups at all ranks. Working closely with the President and
Provost, Singer also serves as a key adviser in Harvard’s tenure process, chairs its Provost’s Review Committee
on Faculty Appointments, and oversees the administration of funds designated to facilitate the appointment of
outstanding scholars who increase the faculty’s diversity. An internationally renowned statistician and social
scientist, Singer’s scholarly interests focus on improving the quantitative methods used in social, educational,
and behavioral research. She is primarily known for her contributions to the practice of multilevel modeling,
survival analysis, and individual growth modeling, and to making these and other statistical methods accessible
to empirical researchers. Singer’s wide-ranging interests have led her to publish across a broad array of
disciplines, including statistics, education, psychology, medicine, and public health. In addition to writing and
co-writing nearly 100 papers and book chapters, many with long-time collaborator John B. Willett, she has also
co-written three books, By Design: Planning Better Research in Higher Education and Who Will Teach: Policies
that Matter (both published by Harvard University Press) and Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis: Modeling
Change and Event Occurrence (Oxford University Press). To learn more about Professor Singer’s research and
scholarly work, visit her faculty web page. Singer has received numerous honors and awards for her work,
including a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and election to the National
Academy of Education. She is a founding board member of the Society for Research on Educational
Effectiveness and in 2008, was elected to the initial class of Fellows of the American Educational Research
Association (AERA). Along with her collaborators, AERA has given her numerous honors, including the
Raymond B. Cattell Award, the Review of Research Award, and the Palmer O. Johnson Award. Singer received
her B.A. in Mathematics, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany in 1976. She has
been at Harvard ever since, receiving her Ph.D. in Statistics in 1983. From 1999 to 2004 Singer served as
academic dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and acting dean from 2001 to 2002.
Stanley, Valarie, Associate Director, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, Yale University
Having grown up in Schenectady, New York, Valarie Stanley currently lives in New Haven, Connecticut where
she resides with her 17 year old daughter and adult son. Valarie was the Assistant Director of the Office for
Equal Opportunity Programs at Yale University for over twenty-five years. She moved on and was promoted to
a Human Resources Generalist in the Client Support Unit of the Department of Human Resources. After 20
months in that role, Valarie returned to the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs and now directs the Office.
Valarie attended Becker Junior College in Worcester, Massachusetts. She went on to Albertus Magnus
College in New Haven where she earned a degree in Business Management. She has worked at Yale for
thirty-four years.
Valarie has served on various committees and boards. She co-chaired an organization called the Tuesday
Connection, which was an organization of minority managerial and professional staff and faculty at Yale. She
was also a member of the University Staff Affirmative Action Advisory Committee, the Work Place Violence
Task Force, the Faculty Search Process Taskforce, the Sexual Harassment Coalition, the Resumix Replacement
System Committee, the Working at Yale Planning Committee, the Workers’ Compensation Process
Committee, and the Planning Committee for the 2008 Workplace Survey for service and maintenance staff.
She has served as Board Chair and Treasurer of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale. Valarie is the Title
IX Coordinator, Section 504 Coordinator, ADA Coordinator, and the Age Discrimination Coordinator for the
University. She also serves on The Provost Advisory Committee on Resources for Students and Employees
with Disabilities.
Outside of the University she has served as Vice President of the Association of Black Women in Higher
Education. She was Co-Chair of the Greater Bridgeport/New Haven OFCCP Industrial Liaison Group. She was
also a member of the New England Minority Women Administrators organization and was a Commissioner
and Assistant Secretary for the New Haven Commission for Disabilities. Currently, Valarie is Co-Chair of the
Metro New York & Southern Connecticut Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, as well as being a
member of the Member Recruitment, Marketing and Advertising Committee. She is a member of the Ivy Plus
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Officers Group and is also on the Executive Committee of the Parents’
Advisory Committee of her daughter’s high school.
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Making Excellence Inclusive: Promoting Diversity in Higher Education
Valarie is a member of Tau Pi Phi National Honor Society in Accounting, Business and Economics. She was
honored twice by the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale for her contributions to the Black community.
Sturm, Susan, George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Resposibility,
Co-Director, Center for Institutional and Social Change, Columbia Law School
Susan Sturm is the George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Responsibility at Columbia Law School,
where her principal areas of teaching and research include institutional change, structural inequality in
employment and higher education, employment discrimination, public law remedies, conflict resolution, and
civil procedure. She is a founding Co-Director of the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia
Law School and is a founding member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Diversity at Columbia
University. She has developed a website with Lani Guinier, www.racetalks.org, on building multiracial learning
communities. In 2007, she received the Presidential Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching at Columbia.
Her recent publications include: Conflict Resolution and Systemic Change (with Howard Gadlin, 2007);
The Law School Matrix: Reforming Legal Education in a Culture of Competition and Conformity (with Lani
Guinier, 2007); Courts as Catalysts: Rethinking the Role of the Judiciary in New Governance (with Joanne
Scott, 2007); The Architecture of Inclusion: Advancing Workplace Equity in Higher Education (2006); Law’s
Role in Addressing Complex Discrimination (2005); Equality and the Forms of Justice (2004); Lawyers and the
Practice of Workplace Equity (2002); Second Generation Employment Discrimination: A Structural Approach
(2001); and Who’s Qualified? (with Lani Guinier)(Beacon Press, 2001). “The Architecture of Inclusion” is the
subject of the June 2007 issue of the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender. Ms. Sturm received her B.A. from
Brown (1976) and her J.D. from Yale (1979).
White, e. Frances, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, New York University
As Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, e. Frances White oversees faculty recruitment and retention efforts,
diversity, and the operations of the Office of Academic Appointments, the Center for Teaching Excellence,
the Faculty Resource Network, the administrative office of the Faculty Senators Council, Office of Equal
Opportunity, and the Office of Faculty Resources. Dr. White was previously Dean of NYU’s Gallatin School of
Individualized Study, a title she held from 1998 to 2005. Prior to coming to NYU, White was a professor of
history and Black Studies at Hampshire College, where she also served as Dean of the School of Social
Science and Dean of Faculty. She also taught at Fourah Bay College of the University of Sierra Leone.
Dr. White has been awarded fellowships from the Danforth Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the
National Endowment for the Humanities, among others. She has been a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in
Sierra Leone and The Gambia. Her awards include the Catherine T. and John D. MacArthur Chair in History
(1985-1988) and the Letitia Brown Memorial Publication Prize for the best book on black women (1987).
Dr. White’s teaching and research interests include: history of Africa and its diaspora; history of gender and
sexuality; and critical race theory. Her books include Sierra Leone’s Settler Women Traders, Women in SubSaharan Africa, and Dark Continent of Our Bodies. Dr. White has a B.A. from Wheaton College (1971),
an M.A. in African History from Boston University (1973), and a Ph.D. from Boston University (1978).
Wilson, Joseph, Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College (CUNY)
Joseph Wilson, born December 2, 1951, in Chicago Illinois, is a public scholar and institutional innovator
devoted to social equality and human rights. As a Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of
Brooklyn College’s Center for Diversity and Multicultural Studies (1995), he was the principal author of
Brooklyn College’s first Diversity Plan. He is a leader in developing diversity programs institutionalizing
cross-cultural understanding among students, faculty and staff. He actively promotes social relations between
CUNY’s array of ethnic and religious communities. He represents Brooklyn College at national diversity
conferences, was appointed to CUNY’s Affirmative Action Committee by the Chancellery (2000), and chaired
CUNY’s Diversity Grant Committee (UAAC 2002-03). Since 1997, Professor Wilson has served as Director of
the Graduate Center for Worker Education (Brooklyn College), which offers Masters Degrees in Urban Policy
and Administration (Political Science) and Community Health (Health Science). He has obtained over 1⁄2
million dollars in technologies funding for the Center. He has been continuously reelected since 1990 to
Brooklyn College’s Black Faculty and Staff Association. He is the faculty advisor to the Caribbean Student
Union and other student clubs. He serves as Senior Editorial Board Member of Working USA: Journal of
Labor and Society and hosts the publication at the Graduate Center for Worker Education. His major
publications include: Tearing Down the Color Bar (Columbia University Press 1989), The Re-education of the
American Working Class (Greenwood 1986), Black Labor in America: An Annotated Bibliography (Greenwood
Press 1986), “A. Philip Randolph: Peace and Jobs” (Contributor, PBS -TV Documentary 1996), The Martin
Luther King Jr. Papers, Vol. IV (Contributor, Stanford University Press 2001). Professor Wilson founded an
African American Labor Archives housed at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, featuring
audio and video interviews, and documentary materials from a range of important labor leaders and union
activists. Professor Wilson was named a Tow Professor (1993-95) and has received honors including: Intel
Mentor Award 1998-1999; Faculty Appreciation Awards; Excelsior Favorite Teacher in Political Science Awards
1997, 1998, 2000, 2002; Broeklundian Awards for teaching (1998 & 2000). His undergraduate Political Science
degree is from Columbia College (1973). His graduate degrees from Columbia University include an MA in
Political Science, 1975; an MA in Philosophy, 1977; and a Ph.D. in Political Science, 1980. His Post-doctoral
work includes Harvard University, Management Development Program (MDP), 1995.
Design: Don Giordano
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