The Office of African-American Affairs plans to establish new programs designed to promote graduate study among black and other minority students and to initiate more open interethnic dialogue among community members, OAAA Dean Maurice Apprey said last night during his "Student Affairs as Capacity Building" address.
The OAAA, according to Apprey, will seek to promote greater black and other minority involvement in graduate programs and make the preparation such schools require more accessible. New support programs advocating a greater number of minority students in University graduate schools will be implemented in the OAAA during the coming years to accomplish these goals, he said.
"We want to increase [the number of these students] in the Comm School, the Medical School and the Law School," Apprey said, adding that the proposed support programs will better enable students to succeed in those schools in the future.
One new program aimed at better preparing black and other minority students for the Commerce School is a summer preparatory program, Apprey said.
"There will also be a Ph.D. and M.D. program in order to provide sustained and uninterrupted work toward a [minority student's] Ph.D. or M.D.," Apprey added.
In addition to graduate student support programs, Apprey said, the OAAA is also firmly committed to increasing the number of minority faculty members at the University. Apprey noted that his office will work closely with the Institute of the Recruitment of Teachers toward this goal.
"IRT is necessary for reducing the under-representation on faculties of certain minority groups," Apprey said.
Facilitating open dialogue on diversity and racism will also be at the forefront of the OAAA's future agenda.
Nina Otchere-Oduro, chair of the Black Leadership Institute, questioned Apprey regarding certain racial tensions she said she feels are still present on Grounds.
Apprey acknowledged that there is still room for improvement, adding that "we are working on it and we are attacking it from multiple angles, including making classrooms have an atmosphere that fosters interethnic conversation."
Apprey said OAAA would like to facilitate the creation of more open discussions and forums throughout the University community to aid the attack on racism and ignorance, making the University a place where community members can ask difficult -- even controversial -- questions without fear of reprisal.
These future initiatives, Apprey said, will stand alongside the many other already successful OAAA programs such as the Peer Advisor Program.
"The advisor program makes every effort to promote academic excellence and involvement within the University [of minority students] and it pays particular attention to the longevity of success and individual excellence," Apprey said, noting that he hopes his proposals will one day be viewed as positively as the advisor program.
According to Bill Harvey, vice president and chief officer for diversity and equity, all University community members will benefit from Apprey's and the OAAA's continued dedication to minority affairs.
"Apprey is a thoughtful and eloquent visionary," Harvey said. "As he's able to implement these new plans, [they] will not only be better for African-American students but better for the entire student body."
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