Auburn University Provost John Heilman announced this
month the appointment of Overtoun Jenda as AU’s associate
provost for diversity and multicultural affairs.
“I’m convinced that Dr. Jenda has the knowledge
and skills necessary to lead this university’s renewed
diversity efforts,” Heilman said. “The diversity
programs he has led within the College of Sciences and Mathematics
have yielded impressive results and clearly illustrate his
understanding of the elements necessary for Auburn to move
toward a more diverse environment.”
“I’m excited and appreciate the opportunity to
serve in this position,” Jenda said. “I really
appreciate the trust that has been placed in me by Dr. Heilman
and (interim AU President) Dr. (Ed) Richardson and the support
I’ve received from everyone in the university community.”
Jenda said one of his biggest challenges will likely be
the wide range of diversity-related expectations that exist
across the campus.
“We will need to identify quickly the critical issues
and target our resources toward those issues,” he said.
Jenda came to Auburn in 1988 and began his progression
through the faculty ranks, becoming a full professor of
mathematics in 1997. He served a brief stint as acting head
of COSAM’s department of discrete and statistical sciences
and has served as an associate dean in COSAM since 2000.
Jenda has been active in COSAM’s efforts to recruit
and retain women and minority faculty and students. Through
his association with COSAM’s Summer Bridge and other
programs, the university has seen the College’s minority
enrollment grow from less than 5 percent to almost 11 percent
and the percentage of COSAM minority juniors and seniors
with GPAs of 3.0 or better grow from 5 percent to 19 percent.
As associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs,
Jenda’s responsibilities will include:
* Advising senior administration regarding diversity and
multicultural issues and serving as a voice in these matters
for the University community;
* Working with colleges, schools and academic departments
to successfully implement and monitor their individual diversity
plans, including strategies for recruiting and retaining
racial and ethnic minorities and women on the faculty;
* Working with deans, academic department heads/chairs,
and the provost’s office to implement effective recruitment
and retention programs for racially and ethnically underrepresented
students;
* Development, implementation, evaluation and monitoring
of policies and programs relating to broad diversity and
multicultural issues;
* Providing leadership and collaborating with constituent
groups to develop accountability measures to ensure successful
implementation of the Auburn University Strategic Diversity
Plan, including the pursuit of a campus climate supportive
of racial and cultural diversity;
* Working with University Human Resources and the AA/EEO
Office to: conduct workshops and seminars on effective strategies
for recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and staff;
provide training for search committees; and provide diversity
training programs to increase awareness among faculty, administrators,
staff and students.
Jenda
named associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs