Three college faculty appointed to diversity commission at UK

By Selena Stevens
UK Public Relations
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University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. seated a new 19-member Commission on Diversity and charged it with advising him on issues of  diversity. Three faculty members from the College of Education were appointed to serve on this commission.

From left: Deneese Jones, John Harris III, and Sonja Feist-Price

Deneese Jones, associate dean for recruitment and diversity for The Graduate School and associate professor in the College of Education, was announced as the commission's chair at the December UK Board of Trustees meeting. The full commission was selected by President Todd in December. Among the faculty members appointed to the committee were College of Education professor and former dean, John Harris, and associate professor Sonja Feist-Price.

"I am committed to creating a university community in which diverse racial and ethnic groups may do more than survive but will thrive," Todd said. "The University of Kentucky still has much work remaining if we are to ensure equitable treatment and fairness for all diverse racial and ethnic groups on campus."

Commenting on her responsibilities as the commission’s chair, Jones said she hopes the commission's work will help enlighten the campus community about how race and ethnicity impact lives both positively and negatively and how they can be harnessed to improve the educational arena. It isn't a matter of becoming "color blind", Jones said, but recognizing and respecting ethnicities found within us all.

"I want this commission to help people understand the issues of race and ethnicity, and see how those ethnicities can add to our lives and studies," Jones said. "I accepted this position with a tremendous sense of responsibility and urgency. It is an opportunity to create a new milestone for UK in its commitment to champion diversity."

The diversity commission is a standing commission that has no deadlines for reports and will advise the president indefinitely. The commissions will share staff and office space with the Commission on Women in the Gillis Building. Their chairs will have regularly scheduled meetings with the president to discuss progress and issues.

A regular meeting schedule and Web site where the schedule and agendas will be posted is being developed.

President's Commission on Diversity

Faculty members:
Leon Assaell, Dentistry
Deborah Blades, Medicine
Lois Chan, Library and Information Sciences
Sonja Feist-Price, Education
Hazel Forsythe, Human Environmental Sciences
J. John Harris III, Education, Arts and Sciences
Zelia Hollaway, Agriculture
Kamyar C. Mahboub, Engineering
Susan Roberts, Arts and Sciences
Gerald Smith, Arts and Sciences

Staff members:
Anthony Hartsfield, Lexington Community College
Victor Hazard, Dean of Students
Pat Johnson-Powell, Human Resource Development
Jacob Karnes, Disability Resource Center
Lydia Wims, Student Support Services

Student members:
Veleshia Smith, undergraduate, social work
Gregory Parks, graduate, psychology

Community representative:
The Rev. C. B. Akins, First Baptist Church of Bracktown

(See newsletter)