President's Award for Diversity Presented to G.W. Thompson

President John R. Broderick presented the President's Award for Diversity to G.W. Thompson at the John R. Broderick Diversity Champion Awards luncheon on April 15.

Both fall and spring recipients of Diversity Champion awards also were honored at the luncheon. Edwin Gomez, the 2012-13 recipient of the President's Award for Diversity, was the guest speaker. The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity sponsors the awards program.

Thompson, director of the Center for Major Exploration, was nominated for the President's Award for Diversity by Mirta Williams of Advising and Transfer Programs, first-year adviser for the Darden College of Education. Saying that he is one who "accepts and promotes diversity at all levels," she also wrote in her nomination form: "He welcomes students, parents, staff and the community at large with all the differences that celebrate our uniqueness. G.W. always sees our differences as unique contributions to society, our community and to ODU. He is open-minded and open-hearted to our broad set of qualities."

Fall 2013 Diversity Champions

University Staff:

• Matthew French, graduate assistant internship and co-op coordinator in the Office of Career Management

Faculty:

• Qiu Jin Hailstork, associate professor of history and director of the ODU China Center
• Danica Hays, associate professor and chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services
• Kaprea Johnson, assistant professor of counseling and human services
• Rebecca "Becky" Martin, student service specialist in the Office of the University Registrar
• David Metzger, dean of the Honors College
• Chris Platsoucas, dean of the College of Sciences

Students:

• Jessica Farley, resident assistant in the Office of Housing and Residence Life

Community:

• Linda Hyatt Wilson, member of the advisory board for the China Center and the Confucius Institute at ODU
• Rev. Mark Byrd, New Life Metropolitan Community Church

Spring 2014 Diversity Champions

University Staff:

• Faisal Mahmud, instructional tech specialist and adviser to the Bangladeshi Students Association of ODU
• Joseph Mota, advising, academic and office support for the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
• Miguel Ramlatchan, assistant vice president for technology in Academic Technology Services
• Joe Ritchie, director, first year academic enhancement, in the Department of Advising and Transfer Programs
• Neudy Nunez, assistant director for academic initiatives for Off-Campus Housing Services
• G.W. Thompson, Director of the Center for Major Exploration

Faculty:

• Kimberley Adams Tufts, associate professor of nursing
• Oktay Baysal, dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology
• Sueanne McKinney, associate professor of teaching and learning
• Gary Schafran, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Victoria Time, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice
• Harry Zhang, associate professor of community and environmental health

Students:

• Erin Heller, graduate research assistant in the Department of Biological Sciences
• Tiffany Palmer, student, administrative assistant in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Community:

• Alana Balthazar, principal of P.B. Young Elementary School.

A posthumous presentation honored Samuel Coppage, associate professor of information technology and decision sciences, who died March 9.