Inclusive Excellence Awards: Past Recipients
2008
Faculty:
Toni Griego Jones – Associate Professor, College of Education
Department of Language, Reading & Culture (LRC) – College of Education
Staff:
Edith Sayre Auslander – Former Vice President & Senior Associate to the President
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) – Graduate College
Student:
David Martinez III – Senior, Secondary Education
2007
Faculty:
George H. Davis, former Provost and Executive Vice President for Student Affairs
Maria Teresa Velez, Associate Dean, Graduate
School of Media Arts
Staff:
Amanda Kraus, Coordinator for Graduate and International Housing, Residence Life
elMundo Diversity Initiatives, Residence Life
Students:
Public Health Student Alliance
Global Health Alliance
Project EXPORT Fellows
The Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health
2006
Faculty:
Charles Tatum, Dean, College of Humanities
Theodore Tong, Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy
Student:
Matthew Hall, UA Sophomore, Mathematics and Religious Studies Major
2008
Toni Griego Jones – Associate Professor, College of Education
Toni Griego Jones’ research, teaching, and professional service all focus on inclusiveness and promoting diversity in public education. Throughout her career in education, beginning as a teacher and administrator in public schools and into higher education, she has engaged in active advocacy for minority students and parents.At the UA she and a group of doctoral students have developed the Preparing Teachers for Mexican American Students Research Initiatives. They formed a study group for graduate students across campus who are interested in researching the education of Mexican American students and, in collaboration with UA Mexican American Studies & Research Center faculty, developed a graduate minor in Mexican American Studies in the Department of Teaching & Teacher Education.
In 2008, Dr. Griego Jones received a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Sonora, Mexico. Her research will help to obtain a better understanding of the educational experiences of Mexican immigrants prior to coming to the United States. While in Mexico, she will also lecture at the Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora on the U.S. educational system. Her UA courses include graduate courses in equity in schools & society, school reform, teacher leadership in school change, and undergraduate courses in foundations of education.
Dr. Griego Jones has been a constant voice in promoting equity and diversity across campus as the past President and long time Board member of the Association for Women Faculty, as a member of the Millennium Study & Report Oversight Committee (MROC), as co-chair of the MROC Diversity Task Force, and as a member of the UA Diversity Coalition. She was instrumental in organizing the UA Minority Women Faculty (MWF) network which has provided concrete, practical workshops and moral support for minority women faculty going through the promotion and tenure process. MWF also functions as a voice for the views of minority women faculty in campus wide discussions with the UA President and Provost.
Department of Language, Reading & Culture (LRC) – College of Education
Established in 1986, the faculty and staff of the Department of Language, Reading and Culture strive to contribute to a more just and democratic society by advancing knowledge and practices related to language, literacies, and multiculturalism. Their mission is to support and promote a scholarly community for the study of the teaching and learning of language processes and literacies, by doing so they hope to foster cultural and linguistic diversity and to address inequities and unjust power relationships. One way the LRC realizes this mission is through the collaborative development of position statements, such as the Statement of Principles on Multicultural Education, that guide program development and policy decisions. Their community is highly diverse culturally, linguistically, and ethnically with slightly more women members than men.
As a graduate department, with nearly 200 students, LRC offers the Masters of Arts, Educational Specialist, Educational Doctorate, and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees. Many of their students, who are practicing educators, earn the Arizona Reading Specialist Endorsement and/or the Bilingual/ESL Endorsement as they complete their graduate degrees. LRC’s graduates are leaders and hold positions throughout Asia, the Middle East, Latin and South America, and throughout the United States and Canada.
LRC faculty, staff and students are actively involved in multiple local, regional, and international projects that demonstrate their commitment to diversity and social justice. A few examples include hosting American Indian educators at the American Indian Language Development Institute (in collaboration with American Indian Studies and Linguistics) each summer; housing the second largest collection of children’s and adolescent literature in the world, which is devoted to creating intercultural and international understandings. Additional examples include sponsoring teachers from Central America who visit the UA to improve their English and acquire additional teaching skills; and housing the Immigrant Biliteracy and Immigrant Children project. Faculty members are international leaders in language, literacy and multiculturalism, having been elected to the top offices of professional and scholarly organizations dedicated to language, literacy and culture.
Edith Sayre Auslander – Former Vice President & Senior Associate to the President
Edith Sayre Auslander is a native Tucsonan who graduated from the University of Arizona in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree, and in 1975 with a master’s degree. She has had a long career in newspaper work as a reporter and section editor for the Arizona Daily Star. She also has been a UA assistant professor of journalism.
She left the UA faculty in 1984 when she was appointed by Governor Bruce Babbitt to the Arizona Board of Regents for an eight-year term, the first Hispanic woman to serve on the board. She was elected Board of Regents President for the 1989-90 academic year. During her term as president, she initiated the system-wide study on the status of women.
From 2000 to 2003, she served as the first director of development for the Arizona Alumni Association and raised funds for the construction of Alumni Plaza. In 2003, Dr. Peter Likins appointed her as Vice President and Senior Associate to the President, a position she held through June 2008. She is also a past president of the UA Hispanic Alumni Club and of the Hispanic Professional Action Committee.
Auslander was named Tucson’s Woman of the Year in 1986, and received an honorary doctorate of law from the University of Arizona in 1997.
She was honored six times nationally for her human resources work, and she earned certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She has been named to the UA Student Media Foundation and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Halls of Fame. She has also received the Women on the Move and the Iris Dewhirst awards from the YWCA.
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) – Graduate College
SROP is a multi-departmental and multi-college effort to provide talented undergraduate students from underrepresented populations with an intensive summer research experience and high quality graduate school preparation.
Under the supervision of Dr. Maria Teresa Velez, coordinators from several undergraduate research programs have come together to plan seminars/workshops, share information and resources, recruit students, identify faculty mentors, and execute the logistical and administrative details required for a successful program. Team members represent the Graduate College, the College of Optical Science, the College of Science, the Biochemistry Department, the Chemistry Department, and several Mexican universities with which we have an International Memorandum of Understanding.
Together this program has grown from 20 students to nearly 100. Interdepartmental coordination ensures that resources are optimized and that each program exceeds the expectations of funding agencies such as the United States Department of Education, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. SROP scholars work closely with UA faculty on research projects; and subsequently end the program with a research paper, oral presentations and a poster session. Scholars also participate in a technical writing class, lectures on topical issues, graduate school preparation workshops, a GRE prep course, and field trips. Team members seek to promote the personal, academic, and career aspirations of each SROP scholar by creating an inclusive and supportive environment.
These efforts contribute positively to our institutional goal of increasing the number of aspiring scientists and researchers from first generation, low income, underrepresented groups and students from Latin American countries. The team works hard to ensure that each scholar leaves with a memorable and useful research experience, a greater awareness of the graduate admissions and funding process, and the confidence to pursue their academic and professional dreams.
David Martinez III – Senior, Secondary Education
David is a senior majoring in Secondary Education with focuses in Political Science and Journalism. As a first-generation college student from Marana, Arizona, David has experienced first-hand the meaning of strength through adversity.
His studies spilled into real-life advocacy of underrepresented populations through politics. David served as, President of the UA Young Democrats, Secretary of the Arizona Democratic Party, and as a Southern Arizona Communications Assistant during the 2004 Presidential campaign. In 2005, David began working at the Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action Office. As a representative of this office and as a member of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, he served on the Transgender Project Committee which successfully enacted and implemented the Restroom Access Policy adopted by President Peter Likins and reaffirmed by President Robert Shelton.
Along with being involved in ASUA, David became active in the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Human Rights Campaign, and mentored students in the College of Education and at Mansfeld Middle School.
In 2007, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano appointed David to the Arizona Board of Regents. As a result of his activism in politics and involvement in the Transgender Project committee among other accomplishments, David was recommended for confirmation by the State Senate Committee on Higher Education and went on to be confirmed by the full Senate in May of 2007.
David is currently the voting Student Regent and continues to advocate on behalf of underrepresented groups for increased financial aid and for rural distance education. In the spring, he will complete his student teaching and upon graduation, hopes to either continue to break barriers as a first-generation graduate student or teach in a low-income minority school district.
2007
George H. Davis, former Provost and Executive Vice President
George H. Davis states the following: My designation celebrates partnership in commitment, courage, and action across the spectrum of administrative and shared governance leadership of The University of Arizona, community advisory groups, and ABOR. To be sure, The Office of the Provost is an essential ‘driver’ to sustained institutional transformation in relation to diversity and inclusiveness, but attainments derive only through close working relation with others. In broad partnership, UA leadership advocated institutional diversity goals in ways mission-inseparable from becoming more competitive in recruitment and retention, and improving learning and research environments. What I experienced in my years as Provost was a transparently broadened understanding of diversity and inclusiveness as a part of institutional excellence. UA’s institutional rhetoric and practices must not communicate a divided (and divisive) path of excellence and/or diversity!
My own path of learning and action while serving as Provost was powerfully influenced by remarkable grassroots efforts initiated and developed by women and persons of color from faculty, staff, and professional ranks; powerful yet fundamentally constructive advocacy for accountability by internal and external constituency groups; committed demonstrative leadership in recruitment and retention practices by certain model deans; dogged efforts on the part of vice provosts and HR leadership to improve institutional personnel practices; and drawing upon the wisdom and experience of invited consultants. For me, when all is said and done, the ‘simple’ roadmap (framed by MROC) is written thusly: DIVERITY, HOSPITABLENESS, FAIRNESS. When collectively we have our eyes on these, there is much that falls into place.
Maria Teresa Velez, Associate Dean, Graduate College
MARIA TERESA VELEZ, Ph.D. has worked at The University of Arizona for the past 23 years, where diversity has been her passion.
As Director of Counseling and Testing Services, Dr. Velez helped lead the first UA efforts to diversify the student body. She hired a highly diverse group of psychologists, reached out to minority and LGBT students, and trained the Office of Minority Student Affairs peer staff.
In 1996, she became an Associate Dean in the Graduate College where she has doubled the number of minority graduate students, currently 20.8% of the graduate student body. She accomplished this by developing intensive research and support programs for underrepresented undergraduates, extensive recruitment, and over 200 full and partial fellowships per year dedicated to diversity. Retention has also been a strong focus through tutoring, a Summer Writing Institute, funds for travel, final project and special opportunities, a Ph.D. Completion Program and, recently, an NSF grant to help Native Americans complete dissertations. To support these efforts, Dr. Velez has garnered over 16 Million from the federal government and private foundations.
Dr. Velez served as the first vice-president of the UA Commission on the Status of Women, is a member of the ADVANCE working group, the President’s Diversity Coalition, the President’s Native American Advisory Board and steering committees of six major grants that foster UA diversity in science and engineering. Dr. Velez has served on many national boards advancing diversity including the Council of Graduate Schools’ Minority Advisory Board and the GRE Board’s MGE Committee.
The School of Media Arts
The School of Media arts, previously known as the Department of Media, offers undergraduate degrees in Aesthetics and Criticism, and Producing, Film and Video Production, and a MA in History, Theory and Criticism. The School seeks to educate students who desire to bring about change and better understanding of the world through the arts of media. Media arts is one of the most diverse and inclusive programs in the College of Fine Arts with a large population of students of color, faculty that represent diverse expertise and cultural perspectives, and programs that promote the investigation of issues related to inclusion.
Students and faculty have received awards and recognition for their contributions to issues of diversity. BFA student Roberto Gudiño produced two social justice documentaries: “Just Coffee” documents families earning a living in Mexico through an organic coffee cooperative, and “Below the Fold” tells the story of the first Latino journalists to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. Other successful student work that give voice to cultural diversity include; “The Moon Princess,” Priscilla Hefley’s personal documentary about being adopted from China, and “Lulee,” Rachel Thomas’ romantic comedy about a quirky Eurasian co-ed.
Faculty demonstrate ongoing leadership involvement in Lesbian Looks, Puro Mexicano, the Jewish Film Festival, and Native Youth Media, and have screened their work at Gay and Lesbian, Black, Latino, and Asian American film festivals. In addition, Media Arts in partnership with The Hanson Film Institute, helps support the Latino Producers Academy™, an annual program of The National Association of Latino Independent Producers conducted in Tucson.
Amanda Kraus, Coordinator for Graduate and International Housing, Residence Life
Amanda Kraus is the Coordinator for Graduate and International Student Housing for Residence Life. After completing her BA in Social History at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2001, Amanda moved to the University of Arizona to begin graduate school at the Center for the Study of Higher Education where she received her MA in 2003 and continued on to the doctoral program. Amanda is currently a doctoral candidate and is writing her dissertation: Social and political influences on student identity: Disabled students' self-concepts. Through her research, she hopes to justify the need for a disability identity development model and give voice to the experience of disabled students.
Amanda served as the co-chair and interim chair for Residence Life’s El Mundo Diversity Initiatives committee from fall of 2005 through spring 2007, where she coordinated the Tunnel of Oppression and other campus-wide events. Amanda has been a member of the University’s Diversity Coalition and has co-chaired the President’s Council on Disability since 2006. Amanda is an alumna of the Social Justice Training Institute and the Summer Institute on Intercultural Communication. She has facilitated various workshops for the YWCA of Tucson over the past few years and served on the Spring 2007 Grant Round Panel for the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona. Additionally, Amanda has instructed and served as a teaching assistant for undergraduate and graduate classes in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.
Amanda is truly honored to be a recipient of the Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award.
elMundo Diversity Initiatives
The mission of Residence Life’s elMundo Diversity Initiatives is to create and support safe, fun and dynamic communities where all members develop personal responsibility, are positively engaged, feel a sense of belonging and the communities reflect authentic relationships where students are free to share, learn and grow. Specifically, elMundo strives to “raise student and staff awareness levels about diversity and social justice.”
Believing that cross-cultural and intercultural experiences enrich residence hall communities, elMundo provides both staff and students with quality programming designed to develop multicultural competency. While the program works to create a more welcoming and supportive climate within the residence halls and on campus by exposing students to the rich diversity of our community, elMundo goes beyond traditional “food, fun and fiesta” cultural programming to ensure the campus is educated about issues of social justice and societal inequity. By highlighting the diversity omni-present on our campus to the residential student population and campus community at large, elMundo encourages diverse perspectives by pushing students to broaden their personal understanding and to challenge ideas. Old ideas or beliefs are challenged regularly and students are pushed to think critically about what they thought they knew and what they have learned.
Some of elMundo’s diversity initiatives include the annual Diva La Paz Drag Show, the Hunger Banquet, Put Yourself in Her Shoes, and the Tunnel of Oppression. Each of these initiatives involves the entire campus community and addresses a broad spectrum of social justice issues.
Public Health Student Alliance:
Global Health Alliance, Project EXPORT Fellows
The Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health
The Public Health Student Alliance (PHSA), representing all students at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, was selected as the student organization recipient of the 2006-2007 Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award.
Through their community service and social justice efforts, the following MEZCOPH student groups demonstrated dedication to increasing cultural knowledge and awareness by organizing at least three events this year.
More than 150 people attended the Social Justice Symposium, which helped participants gain a deeper understanding of social and racial inequities and their relationships to health outcomes. It also created an opportunity to discuss the need for and benefits of a more inclusive research agenda. Key EXPORT Fellow coordinators of the Symposium were Selena Ortiz, Jerry Simmons, MPH Candidates and Rachel Rivera Paz, a MS candidate.
In the Diversity Fashion Show, faculty, staff and students worked together to create an engaging event that would help showcase and celebrate the cultural diversity of the College. Public Health Student Alliance organizers of this event included Ada Dieke, Gail Bradford and Lubna Shaikh.
The Border Deaths Conference, a symposium to recognize border deaths at the U.S.-Mexico border as a major public health crisis, was organized by Global Health Student Alliance members Anne Hill, Bryna Koch, Terry Marsh. The conference brought together a diverse panel of experts, faculty, and students gathered to discuss the hazards of border crossing and the impact of border deaths on individuals, families, and communities. As a result, the GHA crafted guidelines to be shared with other public health institutions, colleges, and community-serving organizations to develop their own policy statements regarding border deaths.
2006
Charles Tatum, Dean, College of Humanities
Dean Tatum has been a leader in efforts to recruit and retain an excellent and diverse faculty. He chaired a Dean’s committee that produced a report to guide administrators in conducting searches in ways to assure diversity among candidates. Dean Tatum established the César Chávez and W.E.B. Du Bois Scholarships. He also has supported and been personally involved in the College Academy for Parents, which is designed to increase the number of low-income, minority, and first-generation college students.
Dr. Charles Tatum is Professor of Spanish and Dean of the College of Humanities at the University of Arizona. He was born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico. His mother, Eloísa Aínsa, a Mexican American, was born and raised in El Paso. Tatum received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame, his M.A. from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. Tatum is the author of a monographic study Chicano Literature (1982) published in translation in Mexico in 1986 and coauthor of Not Just for Children: The Mexican Comic Book in the Late 1960s and 1970s (1992). He is cofounder and coeditor of the journal Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. He is editor of three volumes of New Chicana/Chicano Writing (1991-1993) for the University of Arizona Press and coeditor of a volume of essays, Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage, Vol. II. His most recent publication is a book, Chicano Popular Culture (The University of Arizona Press, 2001). It was selected as a “Best of the Best of the University Presses” book by the American Association of American Presses. His published book chapters and articles include studies on Latin American prose fiction, Chicano/a literature, and Mexican popular culture. Tatum serves on the advisory board of the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project. He is a member of an editorial group that produced an anthology of U.S. Hispanic literature that was published in 2001 by Oxford University Press and of a Spanishlanguage anthology, En otra voz. Antología de la literature hispana en los Estados Unidos (Arte Público Press, 2002). Most recently, he had published a study of the Chicano poet Gary Soto in Scribner’s ncyclopedia of Latino/a Writers (2004). Tatum has recently submitted his book manuscript on Chicana/o literature to the University of Arizona Press.
The book will be published in 2006 the same series as his Chicano Popular Culture book. Tatum has been very active in advancing diversity issues at the University of Arizona where he is a member of the Diversity Coalition and various committees and task forces that deal with diversity issues. He has advanced the College of Humanities as a model for recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Tatum recently submitted a 160 page report, Charting a University of Arizona Course Toward Becoming an Hispanic Serving Institution: Recommendations, to the President of the University of Arizona. President Peter Likins had requested that he prepare such a document that deals broadly with the recruitment and retention.
Theodore G. Tong, Associate Dean, College of Pharmacy
Dr. Tong’s career reflects his advocacy for inclusion and his passion for students. He creates monthly case studies to help students and other health care professionals develop cultural competency skills. Each summer Dr. Tong dedicates himself to PharmCamp, a program that provides underrepresented middle school students an opportunity to come to the UA campus and learn about pharmacy careers. Dr. Tong’s advocacy also extends to his service on University committees such as the Diversity Coalition, the Ombuds Committee, and the President’s Asian Pacific American Advisory Council.
Theodore G. Tong, is Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, and Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Pharmacology and Toxicology with the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona, Tucson Arizona. He also holds an appointment as Professor with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the UA. Dr. Tong arrived in Tucson, Arizona from San Francisco, California in September, 1982, having accepted the University of Arizona’s appointment to be the director of the Arizona Poison Information Center and teaching responsibilities with the College of Pharmacy.
At the UA, Dr. Tong was appointed by former UA President Manuel Pacheco to serve on the Diversity Action Council (1991-1994, chair 1993-1994) and the Civil Rights Advisory Committee (1994-1997). Dr. Tong has been a member of the UA’s Asian American Faculty, Staff and Alumni Association (AAFSAA) since the organization was founded 1988-1989; he has served as its president (twice) and a member of the board of directors (3 terms). He has been a member of the University’s Ombudsperson Committee since 1992. President Peter Likins appointed Dr. Tong to serve as co-chair the University Ombudsperson Task Force In 2000. Currently he is a member of the campus Diversity Coalition (2002-present) and serves as a co-facilitator for the UA President’s Asian Pacific American Advisory Council (2004present).
Dr. Tong was appointed by Dr. George Garcia, Superintendent of the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), to serve on the District’s Bilingual Education/Hispanic Studies and Second Language Acquisition Review Committee during 1997-1998.
Since 1997 the College of Pharmacy has conducted an annual summer PharmCamp attended by students selected from Tucson area middle schools. Dr. Tong in collaboration with the UA’s Office of Early Academic Outreach to advance the mission of preparing more underrepresented and lower income students for college has been the individual giving the leadership to this highly successful effort to foster greater interests among these students (more than 150) for future careers in the health professions and in particular for opportunities in pharmacy.
Dr. Tong is currently a member of the Tucson Chinese Association, Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, Tucson Hispanic Coalition and the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well being of Asian Pacific Americans.
Dr. Tong was recognized in 1992 by the UA’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Center with a Distinguished Leadership Award. The UA Asian American Faculty, Staff and Alumni Association’ honored him with its Faculty Award in1994. He was named Man of the Year 2006 by the Pan Asian Community Alliance for championing cultural diversity, for philanthropic service and achievements in the Tucson community.
The Arizona Pharmacy Association honored Dr. Tong with the 1999 Arizona Pharmacist of the Year Award. The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy honored Dr. Tong with its year 2005’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Dr. Tong was a nominee for Educator of the Year Award by the students from the College of Pharmacy Classes of 2002 and 2006.
Minority Student Recruitment and Early Academic Outreach
The Office of Minority Student Recruitment and Early Academic Outreach provides a wealth of far-reaching programs designed to help low-income, minority, and first-generation students realize their college dreams. Among those programs are the College Academy for Parents and the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Program which provides intensive college-prep training for middle school and high school students.
The University of Arizona recognizes that the diversity of our student body is an integral component of academic excellence. In a campus-wide effort to increase the number of students from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education, the UA actively reaches out to low-income, first generation, and minority students and their families through a range of services. Early Academic Outreach (EAO) and Minority Student Recruitment (MSR) support UA’s commitment to diversity by implementing intensive programs and annual events designed to inspire students and their families to attend college. Listed below is a sampling of such efforts.
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) – Recognized by President George W. Bush as a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, MESA is an intensive and ongoing college preparation program designed for ethnic minority, low-income, and first generation college-bound students in targeted school districts. MESA includes hands-on activities related to math, engineering, and science; college preparation workshops to help build strong academic skills, and individual academic guidance and student evaluation. Since 1984, the UA program has grown from serving 61 students attending four high schools to over 1,000 students who
attend 40 middle schools and high schools in southern Arizona.
College Academy for Parents (CAP) – College Academy for Parents consists of twelve, two hour workshops held in the evenings at local middle schools in an effort to increase parents understanding of the benefits of a college education and the academic expectation for college preparation. UA faculty volunteers lead workshops and information is offered in both English and Spanish. Two hundred, twenty-one parents, who represent 171 families, have graduated from the program. CAP is the 2006 Pathways to Postsecondary Education Award Winner and is currently a finalist for the Washington D.C. based, Excelenica in Education award as a best practice.
The Tucson GEAR UP Project – Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with Pima Community College, Sunnyside Unified School District, Tucson Unified School District, KB Homes, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Tucson Medical Center and Principal Tutoring. The project provides college preparation activities and academic support to 3,500 students (and their families) who are currently in the seventh grade.
Building the Future (BTF) – In 1996, the Building the Future Program Partnership developed between the Rotary Clubs of Tucson, The University of Arizona, and Tucson Unified School District to address the issues of juvenile violence and crime in our communities by attacking their root causes, giving students and their families hope and support for the future. The program adopted the third grade class at C.E. Rose Elementary School and agreed to provide a four-year tuition waiver to The University of Arizona with the stipulation that each student successfully complete high school and the corresponding requirements for admission. Currently, the students are seniors and continue to receive support through mentors including Rotary and Tucson community members.
PSAT and SAT Preparation Workshops –The Office of Early Academic Outreach has offered low cost PSAT/SAT preparation workshops to southern Arizona high school students for 15 years and has served over 3,500 student during this time. The goal of these workshops is to familiarize students with the PSAT & SAT college entrance examinations and help them avoid common mistakes that can negatively affect a student’s score. During the 2004-2005, 298 students attended the workshops and participants improved their mock test scores by increases between 10-35 points.
College Knowledge for Parents – This annual event brings parents of eighth grade students to campus on a Saturday for a series of workshops. Topics include: UA admissions requirements and processes, college costs and financial aid, how parents can help their student be successful in high school and college. Sessions are conducted in English and Spanish. College Knowledge for Parents serves between 250-300 families each year and because of its affects on Arizona families, was recognized by the Arizona Commission on Postsecondary Education as a best practice in 2003.
Peter and Pat Likins Day for Outstanding Seniors (formerly Outstanding Minority High School Senior Day) – High school seniors who rank in the top 25% of their graduating class are invited to this annual campus visitation program. Student participants are recognized for their academic achievement and provided information about admissions. In addition, participants meet with college representatives, attend sample lectures, and learn about the many opportunities offered at UA. Approximately 500 parents and students attend this event each year.
Visits to Target High Schools and Recruitment Phone Bank – Staff and student assistants make regular visits to high schools to meet with prospective seniors who might be the first in their families to attend college or those who might need additional assistance negotiating important enrollment processes. To reach prospective seniors who attend non-target high schools, a phone bank, staffed by trained student assistants provides assistance in the evenings. Student assistants make phone calls to students to assist prospective students with all the important paperwork needed to make a smooth transition from high school to UA.
Early Academic Outreach (EAO) and Minority Student Recruitment (MSR) enjoy partnerships with a number of UA academic colleges and departments, school districts, industry and business, and the community. These collaborations are critical to the work of EAO and MSR and much of the unit’s success can be attributed to the contributions others have made toward our efforts.
The department consists of a team of dedicated individuals who are committed to bridging the gap that exists between higher education and diverse communities in Arizona.
Matthew Hall, UA Sophomore, Mathematics and Religious Studies Major
Matthew makes a difference in the residence halls and on the campus as a whole. Matthew has demonstrated outstanding leadership and teamwork in Residence Life’s Caring and Inclusive Learning Communities Initiative. On a campus level, Matthew serves as an Arizona Ambassador and has assisted with programs such as “the Tunnel of Oppression,” “SafeZone Workshops,” and the “Put Yourself in Her Shoes Program.”
Matthew Hall, a mathematics and religious studies junior, is involved in many activities at the University of Arizona and holds several positions on campus, including Arizona Ambassador and resident assistant. As an Arizona Ambassador, Matthew works to provide prospective UA students with the opportunity to visit campus and become familiar with various aspects of college life. In the past two semesters he has given campus tours to hundreds of potential students and their families. Matthew has given specialized tours to students from high schools with large minority populations, as well as tours tailored for younger children, such as the Girl Scouts, which focus on the importance of higher education and staying in school. Furthermore, as a National Merit Scholar, Matthew was recruited by many of the top colleges throughout the country; consequently, when academically excelling students ask him why they should choose UA over other outstanding universities, he is able to share his own experience of why he chose UA and how glad he is that he did so. Matthew demonstrates how students from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds all have an equal opportunity to be successful at UA.
As a resident assistant, Matthew works with students living in Apache-Santa Cruz Residence Hall and is focused on ensuring that they are successful personally and academically. Over the past year, he has provided free, individual tutoring for many residents in the areas of mathematics, computer science, physics, and chemistry, as well as helped put on hallwide programs to review for the common math finals. For the past two years, Matthew also has participated in SafeZONE, which certified him as an ally for members of the lesbian, gay, biaffectionate, transgender, and questioning communities. Last year, Matthew participated in and raised money for Relay for Life with his hall and actively participated in the diversity awareness programs Tunnel of Oppression and Put Yourself in Her Shoes, in which he walked around campus in heels to raise awareness of sexual assault. As an RA, Matthew works diligently to create a caring and inclusive learning community. From the very first day, he lets residents know that his door will be open whenever he is in his room, allowing them the chance to come talk or get help. He is equally able and ready to assist students in the Honors College and students registered with the Disability Resource Center; in fact, he has done both in the past year. Matthew strives to meet and connect with as many residents as possible so they may feel comfortable coming to ask for help when needed. In an environment where much of the freshman to sophomore dropout rate is attributed to social and personal reasons, Matthew does an excellent job of helping students connect and succeed in college.
Matthew’s important work of recruiting new students, his desire to help current students remain and thrive at the University of Arizona, his commitment to educate about and support diversity on campus, and his constant availability and openness to others make him not only a leader, but an example for other students.