Congratulations to the Recipients of the

2009-2010
Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Awards!

The 2009 recipients of the Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award have been announced. The awards have been given in the following three categories:

Faculty Recipients:
Richard Ruiz -- Department of Language, Reading & Culture Learn More
William Yslas Vélez -- University Distinguished Professor
Department of Mathematics Learn More

Staff Recipients:
Catalina Carlos - Advisor for Equity, Access & Inlclusion Learn More
Office of Outreach and Multicultural Affairs – University of Arizona College of Medicine Learn More

Student Recipients:
Social Justice Symposium Planning Committee – Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health & Mexican American Studies and Research Center Learn More

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Richard Ruiz – Professor, College of Education

Richard Ruiz has been a Faculty Fellow since 2001, assigned to the Adalberto Guerrero Center of Chicano/Hispano Student Affairs. From the beginning of his participation as a Faculty Fellow, Richard Ruiz has opted to have his stipend used for many purposes benefiting the students at the University of Arizona, mostly but not exclusively for students who are referred to him through the Center.

As a Faculty Fellow, Richard Ruiz has also encouraged faculty-student interaction through sponsoring meals at the Chicano-Hispano Center to which he has invited faculty members, perhaps as many as several dozen over the years, for the purpose of conversing with students. He has also facilitated cultural appreciation by securing discounted tickets for and attending a number of events with students. Richard Ruiz is a faculty member in the most diverse department in one of the most diverse colleges in the university. As a member of the department, he has advocated for a number of students, domestic and international, for admission, financial support, and recognition.

Richard Ruiz also created a tutoring program with the CATS counselors in the athletic department. Though this course, he supervises members of the football team who serve as tutors for other football players in mathematics, for the purpose of completing their degree programs.

William Yslas Vélez – University Distinguished Professor, Department of Mathematics

William Yslas Vélez earned all of his degrees at the University of Arizona. He received a Bachelor of Science, with a major in mathematics and a minor in physics, in 1968. He served in Vietnam until he began graduate school in 1970. He earned a Master’s degree in mathematics in 1972 and a Ph.D. in 1975.

Vélez returned as an Assistant Professor of mathematics to the UA, promoted to Associate Professor in 1981 and Full Professor in 1989. Dr. William Yslas Vélez began his efforts to help Hispanic students in the mid 1980s, when he served as faculty advisor to the student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). In 1994, He began a three year term as President of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, allowing him to become involved in national issues impacting the minority scientific community. In the late 1980s, Dr. Vélez noticed that the University of Arizona had been graduating about one minority student with a BS degree in mathematics every other year and he began his efforts to see about increasing participation among minority students in mathematics based careers. These initial efforts became his “Minority Calculus Advising Program”.

With support from the mathematics department, students are contacted and sent information about UA calculus courses. Dr. Vélez also meets individually with these students for about twenty minutes. Each fall semester, he meets with about 100 students. This proactive advising has resulted in a large number of minority mathematics majors. In 2003, Dr. Vélez accepted the position of Associate Head in the Mathematics department. He has been in charge of the undergraduate mathematics major since then. He has used the methods that he developed to work with minority students to work will all students. This has resulted in a doubling in the number of mathematics majors, with a concurrent increase in the number of minority students. Of the 562 mathematics majors for the academic year, 22% of them minority students.

Catalina Carlos – Advisor for Equity, Access & Inclusion

Catalina Carlos was born in Cananea Sonora Mexico. The youngest of three children, Catalina and her parents immigrated to Tucson when she was nine years old.

 She graduated from Flowing Wells High School in 2000 and enrolled at The University of Arizona (UA) in the fall of the same year. During her undergraduate studies she became actively involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and during her senior year she served as president for the UA student chapter.

Catalina graduated in 2005 with a degree in Retailing and Consumer Sciences with a Minor in Business Administration. She became an Admissions Counselor in The Office of Undergraduate Admissions upon graduation and currently works with the Director of Undergraduate Admissions as the Advisor for Equity, Access and Inclusion. Catalina’s work has allowed her to help many diverse populations of prospective students.

Catalina has a true passion for higher education and believes that all students; regardless of ethnicity or economic status should have a quality post secondary education. Catalina’s passions and commitment has shown in her relationships with community members, high school counselors and most importantly students and parents. Catalina has continued to help students achieve their goals not only through her job but also through SHPE. She has been appointed by the SHPE National President as the National Affairs Committee Chair and is actively involved in supporting the local student and professional chapters.

Office of Outreach and Multicultural Affairs (OOMA) – University of Arizona College of Medicine

The Office of Outreach and Multicultural Affairs (OMA) has been integral to the University of Arizona, College of Medicine’s mission since its inception in 1969 under the leadership and vision of the Founding Dean, Dr. Merlin K. DuVal.
The mission of OMA, “To foster, develop and nurture a diverse and culturally competent health care work force to care for the health needs of the citizens of Arizona” has
been its hallmark.

OMA originated as a student-initiated outreach program within the College of Medicine (COM). OMA established an office in Phoenix in 1994, recognizing the significance of Maricopa County in regard to educational and health care opportunities for the COM. OMA currently represents and directs the statewide diversity efforts of the College of Medicine.

Some of OMA’s best known programs include the Med-Start Summer Program, Fostering and Achieving Cultural Equity and Sensitivity (FACES) in the Health Professions Internship, FACES Conversantes, Arizona Applicant Academy, Mock Interview Workshop, and FRONTERA Summer Internship.

OMA also provides resources and support for several pre-professions clubs at ASU and UA, including Manos de Ayuda, Global Medical Brigade, UA Pre-Med Chapter of Latino Medical Student Association, as well as ASU and UA chapters of FACES in the Health Professions.

Additionally, OMA participates in many special projects including: AAMC’s AspiringDocs, a research-based outreach initiative to raise awareness of the critical need for more diversity in medicine and to encourage well-prepared African American, Latino/a and Native American students to apply to and enroll in medical school; and the Holistic Review Project, an initiative to help medical schools establish and implement institution-specific, diversity-related policies and activities that will effectively increase diversity in medical education.

Working with a variety of local, state, and national partners, OMA provides statewide outreach, advances diversity in academic medicine and helps meet the health-care needs of Arizona’s diverse population.

Social Justice Symposium Planning Committee – Mel &Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Mexican American Studies and Research Center

Each year, students organize, plan and stage the Social Justice Symposium, which is designed to bring together faculty, students, community members, and health professionals to address topics which relate to social justice. 

The symposium maintains four core goals:
To Raise awareness, expand consciousness, address misconceptions and exchange critical analysis about how social injustice impacts health outcomes;
To Demonstrate how cross-sectoral partnerships can effectively address health disparities; To Engage students and faculty in discourse regarding ways in which social inequality harms the health of the public; To Inspire action which fosters innovative strategies to promote social equality and improve the public’s health.

This year the Social Justice Symposium was held on Friday, April 3, 2009, and the theme was In Solidarity: Paving Paths to Action. The 2009 event resulted from an unprecedented level of collaboration, relying on the efforts of students representing the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health, the College’s Project EXPORT fellows program, the Global Health Alliance, the Public Health Student Alliance, and the UA Mexican-American Studies and Research Center.  The organizing committee was led by MEZCOPH students Phoebe Long and Keisha Robinson, who served as co-chairs.  They were supported by the work of numerous other MEZCOPH and UA students, organized into three main committees: Program, Marketing and Fundraising, and Logistics.  By drawing on individuals from wide-ranging areas of the university and varying backgrounds, this collaboration embodies the symposium’s commitment to diversity and unity.

For more information about this year’s event, or the 2010 symposium, please visit http://publichealth.arizona.edu/socialjustice

2008 Award Recipients

2007 Award Recipients

2006 Award Recipients

2005 Inaugural Award