Dear Kent State University Faculty and Staff,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph Ortiz, Ph.D., as the Kent State Presidential Fellow, beginning fall 2022. As the Fellow, Dr. Ortiz will work with the divisions of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); Academic Affairs; Research and Sponsored Programs; and the Office of the President in supporting the development of Kent State’s SEA Change action plan. SEA Change is an initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in which participating universities commit to effecting sustainable change related to diversity, equity and inclusion. At Kent State, the SEA Change initiative will focus specifically on barriers to equity within the science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) fields.
Dr. Ortiz is a full professor in the Department of Earth Sciences on the Kent Campus who has made a significant impact on his field. He has a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a leader in the areas of DEI and STEMM. He also has extensive experience supervising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Ortiz will work to advance organizational-level strategies to create transformative systems change in STEMM programs at Kent State.
I look forward to working with Dr. Ortiz and the full SEA Change team in identifying and removing barriers to equity within our STEMM programs. More information about SEA Change can be found online in this Kent State Today article.
Sincerely,
Todd Diacon
President