June 8, 2009
Purdue Catalyst Award for diversity program goes to HFS group
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Diversity programs in the treasurer's area were recognized June 3 in the Purdue Catalyst Award presentation, in which the Housing and Food Services Cultural Programs Office won the 2009 award.
The HFS program, used in sessions within Purdue and beyond, involves attendees in considering what differing perspectives people use. It is based on a book titled "Ten Lenses: Decoding Cultural Beliefs" by Mark A. Williams.
James S. Almond, interim executive vice president for business and finance and treasurer, presented the award. He said the selection was made after the Catalyst showcase presentations by four teams in May, as judged by the Treasurer's Diversity Task Force and senior staff in the area.
Brenda Coulson, director of HFS human resources and cultural programs, chairs the task force and was emcee of the presentation. She says the award program has goals to reward units that embrace diversity and to share best practices that will generate opportunities for establishing partnerships on future diversity programs.
Besides Almond, other administrators in attendance included President France A. Córdova and Provost Randy Woodson.
Before the award announcement, Chief John Cox of the Purdue police spoke about his department's use of the $5,000 it received with the 2008 Catalyst Award.
Some paid for construction and installation of comment boxes in six campus locations, he said. The idea for the boxes arose from a town hall during the fall at the Black Cultural Center. Another town hall is planned for this fall.
The award money also helped send three department members to a diversity forum at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., Cox said. The forum focused on moving beyond a view of diversity as counting heads by race and gender to a look at inclusion and retention.
The 2009 award, also carrying a $5,000 prize for use in furthering diversity programs, was accepted by Annette Benson, HFS language program coordinator and original leader of the "Ten Lenses" program team.
Benson noted that the surnames of the team's 15 members speak of diversity. They go out usually in groups of five to lead sessions using the name HFS ProActors — a play on the word "proactive" and their use of interactive theater.
In each session, three team members play characters who strongly exhibit one of the 10 cultural lenses. One believes that everyone should seek to assimilate into the larger culture, another believes in staying generally in one's own cultural group, and another thinks merit should determine one's placement.
In practice, Benson says, most people employ several of the lenses.
HFS ProActors have conducted about 18 sessions with more than 500 people ranging from HFS staff and Purdue resident advisors to the Lafayette Board of Realtors.
Benson says the program is available. Optimally, it takes two hours and the participant group has about 40 people, but both figures are flexible.
The three other entrants in the 2009 Catalyst Awards were:
-- Ford Dining Court, for its "Beyond Limitations: An Environment of Inclusiveness, Caring, Comfort, and Success." In its nearly five years, the dining court has hired emotionally and physically challenged employees with the help of area agencies. As of this spring, there were 15 such employees. Leader: Barb Maughmer.
-- University Residences Central Diversity Team. The team is itself the initiative, having begun in 2007 and having one "diversity champion" from each of the 16 areas in University Residences. They have identified goals, learned concepts and skills, and presented 31 diversity programs. Leaders: Elizabeth Hartley and Debbie Anderson.
-- Executive vice president and treasurer's Internship Program. Now four years old, this program gives student interns a sample of working in units that report to the treasurer. The program targets degree programs with high minority representation so as to encourage eventual growth in the diversity of the full-time staff. Leader: Jason Ware.
More about the 2009 finalist programs is at
http://www.purdue.edu/treasurer/diversity/2009CatalystFinalists.htm.
CAPTION: Annette Benson of the Catalyst Award-winning HFS ProActors team (center) stands with President France A. Córdova and John Sautter, vice president of Housing and Food Services, after the award presentation.