African Awareness Association,  Dr. Lisa Bowleg,  Dr. Robert Carothers,  Damita Davis,  Augusto Dougal,  Vasilios (Billy) Georgopoulos,  Daniela Gongoro,  Gail Faris,  Lynn McGraph, Stephan Miles,  Babatunde Ologun,  Sigma Lambda Upsilon,  Dr. Mohammed Sharif,  Muhammad Shloul,  Benjamin Wesley. 

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Biographies of the 2002 Recipients  

2002 Members of the Diversity Award Committee   

2002 Diversity Award Nominees    

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Undergraduate Student  Excellence (Leadership/Service) Award Recipients:

Augusto Dougal was selected for his leadership and service in conducting outreach on and off –campus and promoting student advocacy. As President of Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR), for two years, he has organized a campus survey of student views about racism on campus, and coordinated speak-outs for students to share their stories of discrimination. He founded Latin Grooves, a dance ensemble that performs salsa, merengue, and other ethnic dances as well as modern dance; and has taught dance classes to URI students, faculty, staff and parents of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Off-campus, he has offered dance classes at South Kingstown High School, and at the Jewish Community Center in Providence. A student staff member at the Multicultural Center, he has performed at several MCC–sponsored events, such as the Family Weekend Cabaret and Celebration Around the World. A junior majoring in Biological Sciences, he expects to attend law school after graduating from URI.

Muhammad Shloul was selected for his leadership in conducting a campaign for Student Government Vice President, and his service as an officer in several student organizations. He has been elected Secretary of the URI Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Academic Excellence Chair of the Northeast Regional Association of NSBE, the Public Relations Chair of Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity; President of the URI Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AICHE); and an Executive Board Member of the Resident Assistant Board of Advisors. He has organized workshops on racism, homophobia, Islam, diversity, and student success for on- and off- campus populations. A senior majoring in Chemical Engineering, he will be a summer intern at Merck Pharmaceuticals in Pennsylvania, and plans to eventually found a chemical engineering company.

Undergraduate Student Excellence (Academic/Service) Award Recipients:

Babatunde Ologun was selected for his academic excellence, leadership of the African Awareness Association, and service and outreach to West Africa. One of ten students to achieve a 4.0 GPA during his freshman year at URI, he has currently attained a 3.93 GPA. A senior majoring in Biological Sciences he has received the 2002 Estes Benson Award for Academic Achievement, the Robert DeWolf Scholarship for Outstanding Research in Biology, and the Brett Santoro Memorial Scholarship. He has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Society, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. During the summer of 2001 he was awarded the Michael P. Metcalf Memorial Scholarship, which enabled him to conduct a water quality and sanitation research project in Nigeria and a medical mission to neighboring Togo. He has done volunteer medical work at the Rhode Island Free Clinic, and in Guatemala. His outstanding record of accomplishments has enabled him entry into Brown University Medical School through the Early Identification Program.

Benjamin Wesley was selected for his academic excellence, and his leadership and service in promoting collaborative relationships between organizations advocating for underrepresented students. A junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and German, he has received the Excellence in Language Award, the Day Scholarship, and the University’s Best and Brightest Award. He served as president and treasurer of the campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), secretary of the New England Regional Division of NSBE, an officer of the campus chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a math and physics tutor, and a URI Tour Guide. While President of NSBE, he enhanced collaboration with the society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), initiated an All-Campus Student Organizations Award Ceremony, and helped to increase educational and cultural programs for NSBE. He interned at General Motors in Pontiac, Michigan in the summer of 2000. During the summer of 2001, Ben was one of two students from the International Engineering Program to intern with the BMW Manufacturing Company in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In the fall, he will continue the internship in Munich, Germany.

Undergraduate Student Excellence (Artistic/Cultural) Award Recipients:

Vasilios (Billy) Georgopoulos was selected for his expertise and commitment in practicing the art of the “spoken word? and for his ease in crossing ethnic and cultural boundaries. Over the last two years, Billy has been involved in virtually every aspect of the poetry slams and open mikes held at the Multicultural Center-producing, publicizing, emceeing and performing. As a performer, he is acknowledged on –and –off campus for projecting in his hip-hop lyrics the values of empathy, vulnerability and flexibility. He has been active in the Rainbow Diversity House, Expression’s Artists Against Racism, and in Providence, AS220, a nonprofit arts organization. A senior in Secondary ED in History, Billy has been admitted to the school of education and plans a future career in public school teaching. His competency and openness to youth culture should enable him to have an outstanding career. His warrior’s spirit and knowledge have made him who he is today and fortunately he has been able to give something back to our community.

Daniela Gongora was selected for her leadership and service in performing music as well as well motivating others to perform and enjoy music.  An accomplished violinist, she is a member of the URI Undergraduate Honors String Quartet, the URI Symphony Orchestra and the URI Chamber Orchestra.  She also coached middle and high school students at the Experiential Summer Program for Young Musicians.  A senior and an exchange student from Belize, she helped to secure an invitation for the Honors Quartet to perform in her home country and offer master classes to young people last summer. The winner of the prestigious URI concerto competition, she has performed the concerto with the URI orchestra, and at a notable dinner hosted by Fidelity Investments to celebrate higher education in Rhode Island.

Student Organization Excellence (Leadership/Service) Award Recipients:

Sigma Lambda Upsilon was selected for its leadership and service in promoting understanding of Latina culture and issues and collaboration with other organizations.  Also known as Senoritas Latinas Unidas the organization encourages the ideals of Sisterhood, Leadership, Service, Academic Excellence, and Cultural Enrichment.  Annually, they sponsor Raices Week (/week of Races) to expose the campus to the culture of a different Spanish –speaking country.  During Latino Heritage Month (they sponsored Dia de La Mujer Latina, (Day of the Latina Woman) an annual banquet and social celebrating ?Struggles of the Past, Women of Today.?They helped to organize a Retreat for Latin Organizations; and participated in several community service activities, such as raising donation for the Jenny Cake Center and helping Quisquella en Accion and Youth in Action in their cleanup drive.  The members of SLU are prominent as leaders in organizations such as the Latin American Student Association and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

Staff/Administrative Excellence (Leadership/Service) Award Recipients:

Gail Lepkowski was selected for her leadership and service in facilitating and organizing workshops and programs on mediation and conflict resolution, gender issues, collaboration, disability, substance abuse, communication, and non-violence. Coordinator of Disability Service for Students at URI, she has worked tirelessly to build relationships between the University and the local community through her participation in the South Kingston Housing Authority, the South County Coalition Against Racism, and the South County Health Center. Her participation on the housing Authority has given her the opportunity to mentor two young residents of public housing. A certified mediator, on campus she is active and a certified nonviolence training with the URI Center For Nonviolence and Peace Studies, frequently participating in the Center’s Civil Rights Tours. In addition, she is a member of the committee on Poverty, Hunger, and Food Security.

Stephen Myles was selected for his leadership and service in advancing multiculturalism at URI.  A Psychologist in the URI Counseling Center, he serves as Chair of the Diversity Planning Committee.  Reflecting the present status and seeking to clarify the future vision of the campus environment, the URI Diversity Plan seeks to understand the issues faced by diverse groups on campus, assess their impact on faculty, staff, administrators, and students and recommend solutions. He is also a member of Cognitive Dissidents, the faculty ensemble of musicians whose repertoire reflects the social change movements of the last several decades in the United States.  With his colleagues he has performed Diversity Week, Martin Luther King Week, among other occasions

Lifetime Acheivement Award:

Dr. Robert Carothers

President Southwest State University (Minnesota), 1983-86
Chancellor, Minnesota State University system, 1986-91
President, University of Rhode Island, 1991-present

Since Robert L. Carothers moved to Rhode Island from Minnesota in 1991 to become the 10th president of the University of Rhode Island, he has initiated a series of progressive changes to the University's structure, infrastructure, and curriculum.

During his tenure, the University has increased enrollment of the best and brightest students in the state and region, shed its moniker as a "party" school, improved its physical campus environment, increased the diversity among students and faculty, and enhanced its levels of alumni, corporate, and state support. Today, the University is a $360 million enterprise that has undergone a massive overhaul, and operates under a master planning process that addresses and integrates the needs of today while planning for the challenges of tomorrow.

President Carothers has created a new vision for student education, a new culture for learning that shifts students from being passive listeners to active learners. This new culture includes clearly defined expectations that echo Dr. Carothers' "no tolerance" policy toward violence and drug and alcohol abuse. His bold stands in both arenas have brought national attention and recognition to himself and to the University.

Acknowledging that high quality in every discipline is impossible to achieve with limited funds, Dr. Carothers created four broad academic focus areas for excellence -- Health; Marine and Environmental Studies; Children, Families and Communities; and Enterprise and Advanced Technology - which extend beyond the traditional boundaries of colleges and University walls. To further enhance student experiences and maximize the University's resources and expertise, seven problem-solving partnerships have been established, providing experiential learning for students while supporting the work of faculty and staff on research and its applications to community and world problems. Students have become partners in learning and student-faculty interactions have increased.

To attract high achieving students to URI, due in part, President Carothers initiated a Centennial Scholarship program, which rewards students strictly on academic accomplishments. The program now disburses more than $6 million annually. As a result, the average SAT score for incoming freshman has risen nearly 160 points since 1991.

Dr. Carothers has been a pioneer among public universities in providing talented students with the tools to win prestigious awards, opening an Honors Scholarship Office in 1996. During 2001, URI students won nine national scholarships including the Truman, the Udall, two Goldwaters, two National Security Education Fellowships, a Madison, and a Fulbright. A recent alumna became the University's first Rhodes Scholar, the first woman at a four-year public institution in New England to earn the coveted honor.

He has been active in the University's efforts to increase private support, including the growth of the URI endowment from $11 million when he arrived to more than $58 million in 2001. The University launched its first capital campaign during his tenure, exceeding its $50 million goal by $17 million. Total private support to the University has grown from about $5 million per year in 1991 to $15 million in 2001. The campaign and subsequent fund-raising efforts have successfully reconnected hundreds of "lost" alumni and helped instill a renewed sense of pride in alumni for their alma mater.

President Carothers led an innovative strategic process to improve the quality of budget analysis, projections, and accountability. Through the University's development of the Program Contribution Analysis, the cost and net contribution for every program at URI has been calculated. As a result of this ongoing process, 48 degree programs have been eliminated. Addition funding is directed to areas of expansion and enrollment growth. During the past five years, the state has consistently increased its support to the University's operating budget well above the rate of inflation, and even in the current year, impacted by a nationwide recession, URI has been able to balance its budget without compromising its commitment to quality.

Rhode Island citizens have responded to President Carothers' leadership by approving more than $112 million for capital projects in four separate voter referenda, all passing by a two to one margin. During the past decade, he has led the effort to restore and rebuild a long neglected infrastructure at the University's campuses. Currently, more than $250 million is invested in ongoing capital projects.

The residence halls are undergoing a $64 million renovation program; five historic academic buildings are being transformed and rehabilitated; and a $35 million renovation of the Shepard's Department Store made way for the University's Providence Campus, also home of the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education.

A new $54 million Convocation Center and $12 million ice arena, an enhanced engineering complex, and two Coastal Institutes -- one on the Narragansett Bay Campus and one on the main campus - are testament to a growing and influential University. Likewise, a Multicultural Center, built in the heart of the main campus, symbolizes the centrality of diversity to University life. In 1999, the University opened a new wing at the renowned Cancer Prevention Research Center, which since its founding has received more than $60 million in research funding.

Dr. Carothers established the first President's Commission on the Status of Women in December 1999, and implemented a series of steps intended to advance the progress of women at URI.

The president also established a campus task force to develop policy that would address campus alcohol use and abuse. The result was a series of decisions that reduced alcohol abuse on campus, and made URI a national research model for testing strategies aimed at reducing the abuse of alcohol and other substances, bringing in millions of federal research dollars to faculty and staff.

In 2002, he completed three years of service on the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Committee on Campus Drinking, which culminated with the publication of a research agenda for the nation. He was one of only six university presidents to serve on the High Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Prevention Presidential Leadership Group. Dr. Carothers has also been an outspoken advocate of Rhode Island legislation that lowered the legal threshold for drunk driving to .08% of blood alcohol.

Honored in 2000 with the Urban League of Rhode Island's Humanitarian Award, that same year he received the Jean Hicks Award from the RI National Conference for Community and Justice for his efforts to increase diversity at URI and his ongoing commitment to fairness and inclusion. In 2001, he was presented with the History Makers Salute from the RI Historical Society, and most recently received the Silver Anniversary Honor Roll award from the American Cancer Society for his leadership in working with the RI Department of Health and the New England Division of the American Cancer Society to create for a smoke-free campus.

President Carothers is active on the boards of many civic and professional organizations, including the Leadership Council of the American Council on Education, Bradley Hospital, Citizens Bank, The National Conference for Community and Justice, Grow Smart Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council.

From 1986 to 1991, Dr. Carothers was chancellor of the Minnesota State University System, a system with seven universities, 64,000 students and a campus he helped create in Akita, Japan. Before becoming chancellor, Carothers served as president of Southwest State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in English from Edinboro University, his doctorate from Kent State University and his law degree from the University of Akron. He has the unique distinction of being a poet, lawyer, scholar, and administrator.

Graduate Student  Excellence (Academic/Service) Award Recipients:

Damita Davis was selected for her leadership and service in developing the Rose Butler Browne Leadership and Mentoring Program for Women of Color, and in coordinating the Women of Color Leadership Conference. A graduate student majoring in College Student Personnel, Damita has served the Women’s Center as an Undergraduate Intern and a Graduate Intern, and the Office of Housing and Residential Life as a Graduate Assistant. Named after URI’s first woman graduate of African ancestry the Rose Butler Browne Program embodies the best ideals of multiculturalism with its inclusion of women of African, Asian, Cape Verdean, Caucasian, Latina, and Native American ancestry.

Lynn McGrath was selected for her innovative use of constructivist pedagogy in teaching underrepresented students and her leadership and service in developing a computer skills course, “Bridging the digital Divide,?and a summer math pre-college camp, The Rhode Island Math Explorers. A math instructor for the URI Guaranteed Admissions Program preparing underrepresented students for college during the summer of 2000, she has been a classroom instructor for CSV 302- Bridging the Digital Divide, facilitating classroom learning designing and developing online tutorials and other online course content and collaborating with an oversight committee. In addition, she has coordinated the design, content, and maintenance of the URI Multicultural Center (MCC) website, and managed and developed the MCC Computer Classroom. Upon graduation, with the PhD degree, Lynn will join the faculty of the University of San Diego as an Assistant Professor in the Math Department.

Faculty Excellence (Academic/Service) Award Recipients:

Dr. Lisa Bowleg was selected for her leadership and service in promoting advocacy and campus inclusiveness of gender and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues; promoting multiculturalism within the URI Psychology Department and participating in the black Faculty Association. An Assistant Professor in Psychology, she currently serves as Co-chair of the Multicultural Task Force, establishing a renewed sense of purpose by re-energizing the Task Force subcommittees improving communications between the Clinical Experimental and School programs in the Department; improving curricular and enhancing evaluation methods. She also facilitated a colloquium entitled, ¡°I should have said something, I didn¡¯t know what to say: Managing difficult dialogues about Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Class and Disability in the classroom,¡± focusing on power hierarchies between professor and student. In the classroom, she teaches Multicultural Psychology, Psychology of Sexual Orientation, Qualitative Research Methodology and Psychology of Gender. The students in her Spring 2001 Multicultural Psychology course designed a department website on multiculturalism; organized a series of colloquia; and developed plans to promote clinical services to Spanish and Portuguese speaking adolescents in Rhode Island. For the past three summers, she has participated in the Collaborative HIV-Prevention Research in Minority Committee Program at the University of California at San Francisco, which has been widely acclaimed for bringing together promising junior faculty and with senior scholars into a collaborative unit to encourage and support research and action interventions into communities of color. Her involvements in the Program has helped her in supervising graduate student research around the multiple social identities among Black gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and women, and transgendered people. Recently, she has become a Resident Scholar in Afro-American Studies at Brown University.

Dr. Mohammed Sharif was selected for his leadership and service in promoting understanding of Islam and in promoting dialogue between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Rhode Island and New England. A Professor of Economics, his research interests included global poverty and income inequality, hunger and homelessness, economic development, and relations between the United States and Third World Nations. He is Founding Coordinator of the URI Muslim Cultural Heritage Program, Founding President of the Southern Rhode Islamic Society, and the President of the Islamic Council of New England. His leadership provided the catalyst for the formation of the URI Muslim Student Association. His interest in outreach has lead him to become active in the Rhode Island Harbor Heritage Museum, the Rhode Island Committee for Nonviolent Initiatives, the South County Interfaith Council, and the New England Muslim-Christian Dialogue.