Stewart named permanent vice provost

Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray, with the concurrence of President William E. Kirwan, has recommended the appointment of Mac A. Stewart as vice provost for Minority Affairs, pending Board of Trustees approval.

Stewart, currently serving as interim vice provost, replaces Timothy Knowles, who left the University in July 2000. The appointment will go before trustees on March 2.

"We are extremely fortunate to have someone with the experience, expertise and integrity of Mac Stewart already on board at Ohio State to fill this crucial post," Kirwan said. "Over the past several months, Dr. Stewart has proved to be a highly respected leader and voice for expanded diversity at The Ohio State University."

Mac A. Stewart has been named vice provost for Minority Affairs, pending Board of Trustees approval.

Ray said that many initially had advised him to have a national search for the vice provost position. "In recent months, however, I have revisited that issue with many of the constituencies served by OMA. The feedback I received consistently indicated that we would be well-served by appointing Dr. Stewart to the position of vice provost.

"Mac has tremendous support both on campus and from the Columbus community. We believe that he brings tremendous leadership skills to this position that will enable him to provide stability and progress to the Office of Minority Affairs and to serve as an exceptionally valuable partner for the president, me and others as we work to implement the University's Diversity Action Plan," Ray said.

Stewart said he hopes to bring continuity to OMA, to enhance scholarship opportunities, and to increase recruitment and retention rates of minority faculty and students. "I want to be sure that Ohio State retains a leadership position in the way it addresses issues related to people of color," Stewart said. "I look forward to the continuation of the work we have begun."

Before his interim appointment, Stewart was dean of University College and associate provost for undergraduate studies.

Alex Shumate, former chair of Ohio State's Board of Trustees, praised the University's selection: "I think (Mac) combines a strong knowledge of higher education and an awareness of the challenges that most college students face."

Women's council chair named; nominations begin

Jacqueline Royster has been selected to serve a two-year term as chair of the President's Council on Women's Issues, a new council that will advocate for the development of policies that positively affect the environment for all women at Ohio State.

Royster, associate dean for faculty and research in the College of Humanities, is a former member of the Council on Academic Excellence for Women (CAEW) and the Women's Place Task Force, and participated in the consultative process that helped define the new council's structure and charge. The new council will replace CAEW and the task force.

President William E. Kirwan and Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray announced in October that the University would convene a council designed to promote the advancement of women at Ohio State. The group will be instrumental in identifying issues critical to the environment for women at Ohio State, advising the president and provost on strategies to meet or surpass national best practices regarding the institutional climate for women, and setting the direction and priorities for The Women's Place (TWP).

Jacqueline Royster has been selected to serve a two-year term as chair of the President's Council on Women's Issues.

Nominations will be accepted through February for 12 of the council's 20 members. Kirwan will appoint eight members, three of whom will be external to the campus. Nominees will be expected to consider the overarching issues in an institutional context, and should hold posts senior enough to allow them to speak with independent voices. Though groups are welcome to submit nominations, council members will not represent constituency groups and will not serve as spokespersons for specific elements of the University. Women and men will be considered for membership. Online nominations are encouraged via The Women's Place Web site: http://womensplace.osu.edu.

For Royster, also a professor of English, serving as chair of the council is a demonstration of "living by the things that I care about. É Like many people of my generation, I have an abiding concern for issues of access, justice and equality. This concern has translated into an interest in the notion of social and ethical responsibility. I feel an obligation to participate actively in this process and demonstrate a commitment to these types of issues."

Royster said the council's establishment acknowledges both the history and residual effects in society and in higher education of inequities for women -- in terms of, for example, salaries and professional progress -- whether they were intentionally discriminatory or not. The council will "help define where the needs and opportunities are for positive change at Ohio State," she said.

The council will work collaboratively with the newly appointed Council on Diversity, but the two have distinctive overall missions. The Council on Diversity is the primary monitor of implementation of the Diversity Action Plan. The President's Council on Women's Issues will examine policy as it relates to women's issues.

"The councils are different lenses for looking at the same sorts of issues," Royster said. "One lens cannot take a close-up look at everything. My obligation is to try to be an articulate voice about the consequences and implications of looking at issues from the perspective of gender."

Added Judy Fountain, director of The Women's Place and a key coordinator of development of the council, "This council is not going to create a new agenda or a women-only agenda. It will look at the 'why' behind these issues that show evidence of differentially impacting women. And it will be designed to hold policies accountable, not people."

Specific charges to the council include:

• Identify issues critical to the environment of faculty, staff and student women, including issues that may directly affect that environment as well as an assessment of the differential impact on women of all University policies;

• Propose strategies to resolve any differences between OSU and national best practices addressing those issues of concern; and

• Develop a process for evaluating the progress of women at Ohio State using both internal and external comparisons.

The council also will create a planned outreach process to groups and individuals, preferably through face-to-face interaction, but also using technology and other communications outlets to reach the University community.