The search for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion has been narrowed to three candidates: Carmen Suarez, Karen Dace and James Pogue.
Forums will be held this week to give students and staff an opportunity to ask the three candidates questions about their ideas for the position, which works with the LGBT Center, the Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention, the Multicultural Center and the Women’s Center to promote acceptance and understanding on the Ohio University campus.
The forums are important because students drive change on campus, said Delfin Bautista, director of the LGBT Center.
“Students provide valuable insight to challenges we are facing and share ideas of innovative programs and activities,” Bautista said. “It’s our university— the students, staff and community.”
Carmen Suarez received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and is currently the Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs at the University of Idaho. Suarez has worked at the University of Idaho since June 2009 where she started as the Director of Human Rights Access and Inclusion Director. She also worked as interim special assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity and Community/Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs where she worked with the University of Idaho’s Office of Multicultural Affair, Women’s Center and LGBTQ Programs.
Karen Dace received a Ph.D. in communication studies from the University of Iowa. She currently acts as an associate professor in the department of communication and studies at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. She is also the deputy chancellor of the Division of Diversity Access and Equity. She has taught classes on race and diversity in higher education, and in 2012 she published a book with conversations about race titled Unlikely Allies in the Academy: Women of Color and White Women in Conversation.
James Pogue received a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Arizona and completed a management development program at Harvard University. Pogue is currently the director of Retention and Academic Center for Student Success at Wilberforce University. Pogue is also the president of The College Doctor, a program dedicated to helping graduation and retention rates. He travels as a speaker, and he has given lectures on subjects such as navigating college and student leadership.
Bautista said the best candidate should be able to balance multiple perspectives.
“They should be able to balance what’s happening in the big picture around campus, but also the smaller, micro-detailed level,” Bautista said. “Being mindful of what’s happening in students' minds at the university level and what’s happening in the LGBT Center, for instance, is important.
ao007510@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: Open Community Forum for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion: Carmen Suarez
When: 2:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Baker University Center Room 230
Admission: Free
What: Student Forum for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion: Carmen Suarez
When: 3:45 p.m. Monday
Where: Baker University Center Room 226
Admission: Free
What: Open Community Forum for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion: Karen Dace
When: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Baker University Center Room 233
Admission: Free
What: Student Forum for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion: Karen Dace
When: 2:45 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Baker University Center Room 226
Admission: Free
What: Open Community Forum for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion: James Pogue
When: 4:15 p.m. Thursday
Where: Baker University Center Room 333
Admission: Free
What: Student Forum for vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion: James Pogue
When: 10:45 p.m. Friday
Where: Baker University Center Room 233
Admission: Free
