Wright State’s diversity conference began as a Quest for Community in 2001. In 2013, it takes a new form, exploring diversity challenges and promising practices in a modern multicultural context.

The statewide conference, to be held on Wright State’s Dayton campus, will explore diversity issues in higher education and their impact on the broader community. The 2013 conference theme is Affirmative Action: 52 Years of Debate. The purpose of the conference is to bring together students, faculty, staff and community members to encourage commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion through the examination of a single theme.

The conference will open Oct. 3 with a welcome dinner for traveling guests featuring a keynote address by Dyson and a performance by the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC).

The conference will begin in earnest on the morning of Oct. 4 with a series of concurrent presentations showcasing promising diversity and inclusion practices from around the state and a talk by Schuyler, who will address the U.S. Supreme Court’s expected decision in Fisher vs. University of Texas. Schuyler is the Attorney of Record for the amicus brief filed by the American Association for Affirmative Action on behalf of the respondents in that landmark case.

The case, brought by undergraduate Abigail Fisher in 2008, asks that the court either declare the admissions policy of the university inconsistent with, or entirely overrule, Grutter v. Bollinger, a 2003 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that race could play a limited role in the admissions policies of public universities. An overruling of Grutter could end affirmative action policies in admissions at U.S. public universities.

More information, including registration details, is available online.

About the keynote speakers

Michael Eric Dyson

A two-time NAACP Image Award winner, Dyson is one of the nation’s most influential and renowned public intellectuals. He has been named one of the 150 most powerful African Americans by Ebony magazine. The Philadelphia Weekly contends that Dyson “is reshaping what it means to be a public intellectual by becoming the most visible black academic of his time.”

Dyson’s pioneering scholarship has had a profound effect on American ideas. His first book, 1993’s Reflecting Black: African American Cultural Criticism, helped establish the field of black American cultural studies. His next book, 1994’s Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X, was named one of the most important African American books of the 20th century. Dyson’s first book on Martin Luther King, 2000’s I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr., made a significant contribution to King scholarship by recovering the radical legacy of the slain civil rights leader.

Not only has Dyson taught at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities—including Brown, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania—but his influence has carried far beyond the academy into prisons, bookstores, political conventions, union halls, church sanctuaries and lecture stages across the world.

Dyson is presently University Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University where, in 2011, he received widespread attention for his course “Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z.”

Dyson is a contributing editor of Time magazine. He has made numerous appearances in the mainstream media, including The Today Show, Nightline, The O’Reilly Factor, The Tavis Smiley Show, and Real Time with Bill Maher, Rap City, Def Poetry Jam and The Colbert Report. In addition, he hosts an hour-long news and talk program on NPR, The Michael Eric Dyson Show, where he delivers thoughtful analysis of today’s biggest stories from pop culture to race relations.

Marilynn L. Schuyler

Schuyler has been developing affirmative action plans for public, private and academic institutions since 1996, and has been working in the field of equal employment opportunity since 1988. Schuyler began her professional career at the Department of Labor, where she was the department’s affirmative action officer in its national office. She also served as the affirmative action officer for the Office of the President at the University of California.

Prior to establishing Schuyler Affirmative Action Practice, Schuyler was a senior attorney and director of affirmative action program development at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP. Schuyler received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was an editor of the Poverty Law Journal, earned an Olin Law and Economics Fellowship and received first place at the Negotiations Competition. She earned her B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was an alumni scholar.

She is the co-chair of the Washington Metro Industry Liaison Group and the Region III director for the American Association for Affirmative Action. She also reviews and recommends grants for the Washington Area Women’s Foundation and the Northern Virginia Community Foundation, which donates to and administers grants for nonprofit organizations.

Schuyler received the Secretary of Labor’s Exceptional Achievement Award for her work at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. She has also been recognized for her pro bono work, including assistance with the Election Protection Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She authored an article published in the CCH Labor Law Journal and two publications used by federal agencies for evaluating alternative dispute resolution systems.

Wright State University President David R. Hopkins

Wright State University President David R. Hopkins has been elected chair of the Inter-University Council of Ohio and will preside over the council of presidents who represent Ohio’s 14 public universities.

Hopkins’ term runs from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014, making Wright State the chair institution of the IUC.

In his role as chair, Hopkins, along with IUC President Bruce Johnson, will oversee IUC operations and its agenda.

“President Hopkins is an established and knowledgeable leader in higher education who works well with his colleagues,” said Johnson. “As chair, he will help ensure that the IUC continues to have a strong voice in the service of our universities and our state.”

Through the IUC, the member universities collaborate and work with state government to help chart the future of higher education and make it an engine for economic revitalization in Ohio.

“I am proud that Wright State has been given a role in leading this unified force of institutions that believes in the importance of higher education,” Hopkins said. “As a first-generation college student, I am deeply aware of the life-changing power higher education can have on the individual. Together we will use this power to change lives and communities.”

Hopkins will succeed Miami University President David Hodge, who is finishing his third year as council chair.

The IUC was established in 1939 as a voluntary educational association of Ohio’s public universities. It includes Wright State, Akron, Bowling Green, Central State, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Kent State, Miami, Northeast Ohio Medical, Ohio State, Ohio University, Shawnee State, Toledo and Youngstown State.

Jennifer Papadakis

Jennifer Papadakis, an academic advisor for Wright State’s College of Science and Mathematics, has been published by the National ACademic ADvising Association (NACADA) for her article on marketing.

The article, titled “Increasing Visibility and Student Retention: Marketing Within a Departmental Academic Advising Office,” is in the latest edition of Academic Advising Today, NACADA’s electronic publication distributed quarterly to more than 10,000 members around the world.

“We think that Jennifer’s contribution indicates her commitment to providing quality advising for your students as well as demonstrates her dedication to the profession of advising and the academic success of all students,” Executive Director Charlie Nutt said in a letter to Wright State President David R. Hopkins.

In the article, Papadakis said marketing at the department level starts with brainstorming the assets of the curriculum and how it might cater to other students on campus. She said departments should consider promotional activities to boost enrollment in minor or certificate programs.

“Communicating across colleges ensures that a department stays informed of cross-listed courses and in turn what students would be served by dual-major promotions or email notification of a new special-topics course,” Papadakis wrote.

She said the Psychology Undergraduate Program office at Wright State sets up informational tables a few times each semester to tell students about the psychology program, minors and concentration options.

“While a number of new students visit the tables,” she wrote, “many students currently enrolled in the major take the opportunity to reconnect with their advisor or ask specific questions.”

Papadakis also said the office uses graduate teaching assistants to serve as social-media market interns.

“As higher education continues to evolve, student support professionals in the College of Science and Mathematics are being innovative to meet the end goals of student success,” Papadakis said. “The initiatives outlined in this article are proof that academic advisors can have significant reach to areas as broad as retention, enrollment and marketing.”

To see entire article, visit: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Increasing-Visibility-and-Student-Retention-Marketing-Within-a-Departmental-Academic-Advising-Office.aspx

Jennifer Papadakis

Jennifer Papadakis, an academic advisor for Wright State’s College of Science and Mathematics, has been published by the National ACademic ADvising Association (NACADA) for her article on marketing.

The article, titled “Increasing Visibility and Student Retention: Marketing Within a Departmental Academic Advising Office,” is in the latest edition of Academic Advising Today, NACADA’s electronic publication distributed quarterly to more than 10,000 members around the world.

“We think that Jennifer’s contribution indicates her commitment to providing quality advising for your students as well as demonstrates her dedication to the profession of advising and the academic success of all students,” Executive Director Charlie Nutt said in a letter to Wright State President David R. Hopkins.

In the article, Papadakis said marketing at the department level starts with brainstorming the assets of the curriculum and how it might cater to other students on campus. She said departments should consider promotional activities to boost enrollment in minor or certificate programs.

“Communicating across colleges ensures that a department stays informed of cross-listed courses and in turn what students would be served by dual-major promotions or email notification of a new special-topics course,” Papadakis wrote.

She said the Psychology Undergraduate Program office at Wright State sets up informational tables a few times each semester to tell students about the psychology program, minors and concentration options.

“While a number of new students visit the tables,” she wrote, “many students currently enrolled in the major take the opportunity to reconnect with their advisor or ask specific questions.”

Papadakis also said the office uses graduate teaching assistants to serve as social-media market interns.

“As higher education continues to evolve, student support professionals in the College of Science and Mathematics are being innovative to meet the end goals of student success,” Papadakis said. “The initiatives outlined in this article are proof that academic advisors can have significant reach to areas as broad as retention, enrollment and marketing.”

To see entire article, visit: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Increasing-Visibility-and-Student-Retention-Marketing-Within-a-Departmental-Academic-Advising-Office.aspx

Philosophy Professor William Irvine examines why we should overcome inclinations to hurt others in A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt—And Why They Shouldn’t.

Words have incredible power. “Someone can, with 10 words spoken in 10 seconds, destroy a relationship that’s lasted for 10 years,” says William Irvine, Ph.D., professor of philosophy.

Irvine examines how words can hurt us, and why we shouldn’t let them, in his latest book, A Slap in the Face: Why Insults Hurt—And Why They Shouldn’t, published by Oxford University Press.

To insult someone, said Irvine, is to “say or do something that causes someone else to experience pain,” whether it is done intentionally or unintentionally. According to this definition, you can even insult someone by doing nothing, including, for instance, not shaking a proffered hand or not acknowledging a gift.

As he researched the book, Irvine collected insults from every insult book he could get his hands on.

He says repartee is the highest form of insult because it requires you to be verbally adroit and think on your feet. He cites Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde as two experts of repartee.

One example of repartee is an exchange between Lady Nancy Astor and Churchill, in which Astor said, “If you were my husband, I would put poison in your coffee.” Churchill’s response: “If you were my wife, I would drink it!”

Irvine found that insults have been around throughout human history, though some consider the Elizabethan period the “golden age of insults.” At that time, it was common to deliver long verbal insults. Today, he says, people are less articulate, less colorful and more prone to rely on using vulgar language or gestures.

The act of insulting others, Irvine says, is hard-wired into humans. It starts with our natural need to belong to a group for our own survival. Once part of a group, we try to rise within its social hierarchy in order to flourish.

He calls the desire to rise in society the “social hierarchy game.” Wolves and dogs rise within their social circles through physical conflict. Because humans evolved brains and language, we use words and gestures. We try to rise in society by putting others in their place, Irvine says, by insulting and causing them pain.

People can stop playing this game, Irvine says, by becoming an insult pacifist and responding to insults in nonaggressive ways. This includes simply ignoring the insult or responding with self-deprecating humor, thereby insulting yourself even worse than the original insulter did.

“If you want to be a happy individual, you will have to learn how not to play the social hierarchy game,” Irvine said. “You’ll have to rise above it and reach the stage at which, although you watch other people play it, you don’t play it yourself. Reaching this stage will take effort, though.”

He encourages those practicing insult pacifism not just to shrug off an insult, but also to reflect on whether it contains a grain of truth. “Your friends don’t tell you your shortcomings. Your enemies have no problem at all doing so,” he said.

Irvine’s research has led him to practice insult pacifism. He closely monitors his tendencies to insult others and to promote himself. He has found that conversations are filled with self-promotion, which he considers another strategy in the social hierarchy game.

As he examined his own conversations, he said, “I found I was simply waiting for the other person to stop talking so I could start self-promoting again.” He has subsequently devoted himself to reducing his self-promotional activities. “There’s still lots of room for improvement!” he said.

One particularly insidious insult that Irvine uncovered in his research is the second-hand insult, in which you tell someone an insult that originated from a third-party.

“It’s a way of inflicting pain on somebody, but with complete deniability,” Irvine said, adding, “We want to put other people in their place, and this is a safe way to do it.”

Oscar Levant, a writer, musician and actor, knew all about second-hand insults. He once said that he never had to read bad reviews of his work because his friends always told him about them.

A Slap in the Face grew out of research Irvine did for his previous book, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, published in 2008. He planned to include a chapter on insults in that book, but the chapter kept growing until he realized it needed to be its own book.

Stoic philosophers, Irvine said, examined our daily conduct and took particular interest in insults and how to reply to them. “They realized that, first, we’re going to be miserable if we aren’t around other people, and second, if we are around other people they’re going to insult us,” he said.

Irvine, who has taught at Wright State for 30 years, is also the author of On Desire: Why We Want What We Want. He is working on a new book exploring moments of insight in different fields, like science, art, religion and morality.

“I follow my curiosity,” he said. “What I find is that almost everything, when you look at it closely, turns out to be more interesting than you originally thought.”

Research Assistant Sunny Finnegan (left) and Dr. Jason Fruth are studying potential benefits of the PAX Good Behavior Game.

“Spleems,” “tootles,” and a little harmonica could soon prove to be among a teacher’s most valuable classroom management tools.

Jason Fruth, Ph.D., assistant professor in Wright State’s Department of Education, was recently awarded a $13,000 research initiation grant by the College of Education and Human Services and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to study effects of the PAX Good Behavior Game on elementary school classrooms in several local public school districts.

Fruth has also applied for an $11,000 grant from the Ohio Education Research Center.

“Teaching kids self-regulation has resounding effects, both on classroom management and adult outcomes,” Fruth said. “The PAX game teaches students to become self-regulating.”

Student teams in a classroom compete against each other to earn rewards for avoiding disruptive, inattentive, or aggressive behavior—spleems. Students recognize good behavior in others—tootles. Tootle notes are sent home with deserving students, and teams that avoid spleems are rewarded. Teachers use a small harmonica to signal the beginning and end of the formal game time.

Perhaps only a few minutes will be devoted strictly to the PAX game, but the new behavior patterns can impact the rest of the school day. Some studies indicate that the drop in student disruptions can help add more than 60 minutes per day in instructional time.

Fruth first heard of the game during a department retreat in the fall of 2012 and trained to become a game “coach” in November. Wright State hosted the PAX national training program in February. Grant funds helped create the Office for Educational Research, which partners with local school districts, including the Dayton Public Schools, for PAX research. Fruth and Anya Senetra of the Greene County Educational Services Center will co-teach a PAX course to undergraduates at Wright State this fall.

“We’re excited about what these studies will show us about the long-term effects of PAX,” Fruth said. “It’s about so much more than just making kids be good. It’s about prevention, which is far more effective than just reacting.”

Research Assistant Sunny Finnegan (left) and Dr. Jason Fruth are studying potential benefits of the PAX Good Behavior Game.

“Spleems,” “tootles,” and a little harmonica could soon prove to be among a teacher’s most valuable classroom management tools.

Jason Fruth, Ph.D., assistant professor in Wright State’s Department of Education, was recently awarded a $13,000 research initiation grant by the College of Education and Human Services and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to study effects of the PAX Good Behavior Game on elementary school classrooms in several local public school districts.

Fruth has also applied for an $11,000 grant from the Ohio Education Research Center.

“Teaching kids self-regulation has resounding effects, both on classroom management and adult outcomes,” Fruth said. “The PAX game teaches students to become self-regulating.”

Student teams in a classroom compete against each other to earn rewards for avoiding disruptive, inattentive, or aggressive behavior—spleems. Students recognize good behavior in others—tootles. Tootle notes are sent home with deserving students, and teams that avoid spleems are rewarded. Teachers use a small harmonica to signal the beginning and end of the formal game time.

Perhaps only a few minutes will be devoted strictly to the PAX game, but the new behavior patterns can impact the rest of the school day. Some studies indicate that the drop in student disruptions can help add more than 60 minutes per day in instructional time.

Fruth first heard of the game during a department retreat in the fall of 2012 and trained to become a game “coach” in November. Wright State hosted the PAX national training program in February. Grant funds helped create the Office for Educational Research, which partners with local school districts, including the Dayton Public Schools, for PAX research. Fruth and Anya Senetra of the Greene County Educational Services Center will co-teach a PAX course to undergraduates at Wright State this fall.

“We’re excited about what these studies will show us about the long-term effects of PAX,” Fruth said. “It’s about so much more than just making kids be good. It’s about prevention, which is far more effective than just reacting.”

Research Assistant Sunny Finnegan (left) and Dr. Jason Fruth are studying potential benefits of the PAX Good Behavior Game.

“Spleems,” “tootles,” and a little harmonica could soon prove to be among a teacher’s most valuable classroom management tools.

Jason Fruth, Ph.D., assistant professor in Wright State’s Department of Education, was recently awarded a $13,000 research initiation grant by the College of Education and Human Services and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to study effects of the PAX Good Behavior Game on elementary school classrooms in several local public school districts.

Fruth has also applied for an $11,000 grant from the Ohio Education Research Center.

“Teaching kids self-regulation has resounding effects, both on classroom management and adult outcomes,” Fruth said. “The PAX game teaches students to become self-regulating.”

Student teams in a classroom compete against each other to earn rewards for avoiding disruptive, inattentive, or aggressive behavior—spleems. Students recognize good behavior in others—tootles. Tootle notes are sent home with deserving students, and teams that avoid spleems are rewarded. Teachers use a small harmonica to signal the beginning and end of the formal game time.

Perhaps only a few minutes will be devoted strictly to the PAX game, but the new behavior patterns can impact the rest of the school day. Some studies indicate that the drop in student disruptions can help add more than 60 minutes per day in instructional time.

Fruth first heard of the game during a department retreat in the fall of 2012 and trained to become a game “coach” in November. Wright State hosted the PAX national training program in February. Grant funds helped create the Office for Educational Research, which partners with local school districts, including the Dayton Public Schools, for PAX research. Fruth and Anya Senetra of the Greene County Educational Services Center will co-teach a PAX course to undergraduates at Wright State this fall.

“We’re excited about what these studies will show us about the long-term effects of PAX,” Fruth said. “It’s about so much more than just making kids be good. It’s about prevention, which is far more effective than just reacting.”

Research Assistant Sunny Finnegan (left) and Dr. Jason Fruth are studying potential benefits of the PAX Good Behavior Game.

“Spleems,” “tootles,” and a little harmonica could soon prove to be among a teacher’s most valuable classroom management tools.

Jason Fruth, Ph.D., assistant professor in Wright State’s Department of Education, was recently awarded a $13,000 research initiation grant by the College of Education and Human Services and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to study effects of the PAX Good Behavior Game on elementary school classrooms in several local public school districts.

Fruth has also applied for an $11,000 grant from the Ohio Education Research Center.

“Teaching kids self-regulation has resounding effects, both on classroom management and adult outcomes,” Fruth said. “The PAX game teaches students to become self-regulating.”

Student teams in a classroom compete against each other to earn rewards for avoiding disruptive, inattentive, or aggressive behavior—spleems. Students recognize good behavior in others—tootles. Tootle notes are sent home with deserving students, and teams that avoid spleems are rewarded. Teachers use a small harmonica to signal the beginning and end of the formal game time.

Perhaps only a few minutes will be devoted strictly to the PAX game, but the new behavior patterns can impact the rest of the school day. Some studies indicate that the drop in student disruptions can help add more than 60 minutes per day in instructional time.

Fruth first heard of the game during a department retreat in the fall of 2012 and trained to become a game “coach” in November. Wright State hosted the PAX national training program in February. Grant funds helped create the Office for Educational Research, which partners with local school districts, including the Dayton Public Schools, for PAX research. Fruth and Anya Senetra of the Greene County Educational Services Center will co-teach a PAX course to undergraduates at Wright State this fall.

“We’re excited about what these studies will show us about the long-term effects of PAX,” Fruth said. “It’s about so much more than just making kids be good. It’s about prevention, which is far more effective than just reacting.”

AAFP President Jeff Cain, M.D., presents the AAFP Top Ten Award to Amanda Bell, M.D., Wright State associate professor of family medicine (left), and Dean Marjorie Bowman, M.D., M.P.A.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) honored the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine with a Top Ten Award for its consistent commitment to meeting the nation’s need for family physicians.

During the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine spring conference, the AAFP annually recognizes schools that graduated the greatest percentage of students who chose first-year family medicine residency positions during a consecutive three-year period. Known as the Top Ten Awards, this year’s recognition was expanded to 12 schools to accommodate the growth in the number of geographically separated medical school campuses. There are 141 allopathic medical schools in the United States.

At Wright State, 16.1 percent of medical school graduates are entering family medicine. The 2013 award recipients and the percentage of graduates entering family medicine are:

• The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University – 20.9%
• University of Kansas School of Medicine – 20.8%
• University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences – 20.5%
• Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine – 20.1%
• Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University – 18.5%
• University of New Mexico School of Medicine – 18.3%
• University of Minnesota Medical School – 17.3%
• University of Arizona College of Medicine – 17.2%
• University of Washington School of Medicine – 17.2%
• Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine – 16.1%
• University of California – Davis School of Medicine – 15.8%
• University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine – 15.4%

According to the AAFP, Americans make more office visits to family physicians than any other medical specialty. Family physicians provide care for patients who have sore throats, patients who need stitches and patients who have multiple, complex conditions such as diabetes with congestive heart failure.