Diversity Enhancement
John Thorp - 2007Social Sciences department head John Thorp has actively pursued a wide variety of diversity activities within the College of Arts and Sciences and for the University. He has coordinated the University's participation in the annual state-wide Equity in the Classroom: Graduating Minority Students conference since its inception in 1990. He was the administrative team leader for the Diversity Counts! initiative in the College of Arts and Sciences. This project infused diversity issues into the general education curriculum. It was funded by grants from the American Association of Colleges & Universities (as part of its American Commitments Project in 1994-96), the Lilly Endowment Workshop on the Liberal Arts (1994), and from the Ford Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative (1996-98). A major thrust of his efforts was to secure funding for faculty to attend national conferences addressing diversity issues in higher education. Dr. Thorp played an important role in the establishment of the Jim Crow Museum, and he assists in the development of the museum's programming. He currently oversees the development of the collection, arranges for groups to visit the museum, and is helping plan the new facility. He has made numerous national presentations about the museum, and he has been instrumental in finding opportunities and funding for faculty to make presentations about their classroom use of the museum. 
David Pilgrim - 2006The Division of Academic Affairs recognizes the importance of promoting tolerance and fostering mutual respect as a key element of a university education. David Pilgrim, professor of Sociology, has demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity in several vital areas. A respected author and poet, he annually assists with the University's activities in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Perhaps his most important legacy will be the Jim Crow Museum, which he established and curates. The museum is a collection of more than 4,000 racist artifacts that Dr. Pilgrim personally catalogued and donated to Ferris State, a gift worth tens of thousands of dollars. Pilgrim was a consultant to actor Will Smith in his directorial debut in an episode of the 2006 UPN television show, "All of Us." |