NDSU’s Department of Public Health has been selected to receive the Diversity Impact Award for 2016-2017 from the NDSU Diversity Council. The department will be recognized during the 2017 Tapestry of Diverse Talents Ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 22, at noon in the Century Theater of the Memorial Union.
“We are happy to recognize the great work of the Department of Public Health in advancing diversity and inclusion both on campus and across the region with the important work that they are doing,” said Kara Gravley-Stack, deputy Title IX coordinator. “This department is an excellent example of the type of contributions being made by Diversity Impact Award winners.”
The award recognizes NDSU departments, committees, student groups and units that have demonstrated a significant contribution to advancing diversity within the following areas:
· Institutional commitment - Creating an environment where everyone feels welcome, respected and safe.
· Learning and pedagogy - Developing a learning environment that guides students, faculty and staff to think critically about social justice issues in the classroom and workplace.
· Research and creative activity - Engaging in research and creative activity that reflect multicultural values and perspectives.
· Recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented students, faculty and staff - Increasing the representation of historically underrepresented populations among faculty, staff, students and administrators.
· Inter-group and Intra-group Relations - Celebrating human differences and recognizing socially constructed differences through initiatives that encourage and support the continuing interaction of diverse cultures.
The Department of Public Health was nominated by Molly Secor-Turner, associate professor of nursing.
“With the creation of the Master of Public Health program in 2011 and the hiring of the director, Dr. Donald Warne (Oglala Lakota), the commitment to diversity has been at the core of the program and now department,” Secor-Turner wrote. “Specifically, two core values of the department are diversity and social justice.”
According to Secor-Turner, the program’s focus on diversity within its student body, faculty and staff assures broad perspectives in culture, world-view, and experiences. The program demonstrates “a commitment to diversity through learning and pedagogy; research and creative activity; recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented students, faculty and staff; and inter-group and intra-group relations,” she wrote.
The Master of Public Health program diversity goals include:
· At least 20 percent of new students admitted each fall will identify as American Indian/Alaska Native.
· At least 40 percent of new students admitted each fall will identify as from a rural community; defined as a population of less than 50,000 people.
· Faculty will be at least 50 percent female.
The Money Follows the Person Tribal Initiative works to establish sustainable, culturally appropriate, community-based, long term services and supports that will improve the quality of life for tribal members. North Dakota’s program is a collaborative effort among the North Dakota Department of Human Services, NDSU Department of Public Health, Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and Standing Rock Sioux Nation.
In addition, the American Indian Public Health Resource Center within the department, assists faculty and students conduct culturally appropriate research within tribal communities. The department has faculty, staff and student involvement in the Native American Professional Programs student organization in the College of Health Professions. Constituents also are involved in a number of other organizations and causes such as welcoming New Americans to the Fargo community and NDSU, supporting LGBTQ people through Safe Zone Allies and leading healthy equity initiatives for the North Dakota Department of Health.
The Diversity Impact Award was first presented in 2007 to recognize NDSU departments, committees, student groups, and units that have demonstrated commitment to the spirit of diversity, leadership through positive interaction among persons of diverse identities and backgrounds and behavior that illustrates commitment to inclusion of persons who are members of traditionally under-represented groups.
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