Rory James to serve as the Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion

Rory James has been appointed as the Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion for the School of Public Health-Bloomington where he will oversee programs and recruitment activities that will ensure a diverse student body across a spectrum of underrepresented groups.

Previously, Rory served for 5 years as the Director of the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana.

"Rory brings with him both a background in public health as well as a keen understanding of the value of diversity that not only benefits groups who might have faced barriers historically, but also for students who benefit from the exposure to different perspectives, cultures, and ideas from underrepresented groups," noted Mohammad Torabi, Dean and Chancellor's Professor at the school."Fundamental to our academic philosophy is that where there's an equal playing field for every student, there are opportunities down every path for their success across the array of academic programs we offer. I know that Rory shares this philosophy."

Indeed, Rory hopes to transition quickly into his role by creating and implementing diversity training for faculty and staff. With his background in epidemiology and community health, Rory plans to emphasize with students the need for public health practitioners and researchers in areas that will benefit from diverse perspectives. 

Rory earned a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Tulane University and was a cum laude biology graduate from Tuskegee University. In addition, he served as Director of Intercultural and Multicultural Programs at UNC Asheville and as the Assistant Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at West Carolina University. His background encompasses undergraduate and graduate student engagement and professional staff development in cross-cultural competency.  

"We are very excited to welcome Rory as part of our school as we continue our commitment to making the School of Public Health-Bloomington a model that emulates the true spirit of academic excellence, diversity, inclusion, and the free exchange of ideas," noted John Schrader, Assistant Dean for Student Academic Affairs.

Learning Analytics Fellows Award

On behalf of the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Center for Innovative Teaching, we would like to announce that Dr. Rasul Mowatt was chosen to join IUB’s Learning Analytics Fellows Program. The review committee was confident that his project would add to their ongoing teaching and learning conversations and also contribute to their knowledge of the various ways that using analytical data can translate into student success.

Dr. Mowatt will receive a total funding of $2000 in support of his work and will meet monthly with Learning Analytics colleagues throughout the semester, sharing his ongoing research and receiving feedback from his peers. He will submit a final report on or before September 19, 2015. The report will describe the results of the study as well as the possibilities for acting on those findings or for conducting further research. He will also disseminate his initial results in a poster session or similar venue for a wider audience of faculty during the 2015 fall semester.

Inaugural Sport and Social Change Summit Held at Indiana University

Indiana University professors Debby Herbenick and Dr. Antonio Williams were proud to host the inaugural Sport and Social Change Summit in Bloomington, IN. The summit, a part of the Sport and Social Change Initiative, was held Thursday and Friday May 21-22 and began with a private, invitation-only dinner. Culminating in a meeting consisting of a panel of former players, practitioners, and stakeholders from various sport organizations including the NCAA, NFL, NFLPA, NBA, You Can Play, Little 500, and Distinxion, the summit included presentations, roundtable discussions, and brainstorming sessions.

“Sport and Social Change Initiative was created in response to our work examining the challenges athletes face in regard to physical, emotional, social, psychological, and relational health,” Dr. Williams stated. “The goal of the summit was to share best practices, and set a long-term research agenda.”

Dr. Michael Reece, Director of Research for the School of Public Health - Bloomington provided the welcome address for the dinner. “Our overarching vision is to help athletes combat the challenges that may stem from heightened fame, notoriety, time commitment, expectations, pressures, and physical stressors associated with participation in youth, collegiate and professional athletics.” Reece said of the summit.

Debby Herbenick is hopeful for the future of the Sport and Social Change Initiative saying, “Overall, we believe that the summit was a major success.” She also thanked Dr. Reece as well as Dr. Mohammad Torabi, Dean of the School of Public Health – Bloomington “for their vision in creating the ingenuity grant that made this possible.” More summits of the like are expected in the future.