香港王中王六合彩

After three years of strengthening the community of belonging and connection at 香港王中王六合彩, Chief Diversity Officer Frank E. Dobson, Jr., Ph.D., has announced he will retire at the end of May 2025.  

鈥淔rank Dobson’s impact on this community has been remarkable. He is leaving us with a strategic Belonging Plan and new programs that position us for continued success, and for that, we are forever grateful,鈥� said President John Comerford. 

While Dobson takes pride in all of his work at 香港王中王六合彩, a few things stand out to him. 鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of the Belonging Plan. When I arrived, it had been started as a Diversity and Inclusion Plan, but I changed it to the Belonging Plan, which speaks to community and connection. To do that well, I had to be in conversation with all the different areas, and we all had to be on board. It is OUR Belonging Plan,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of working with the entire campus community and being able to say we are all in this together.鈥� 

In addition to the Belonging Plan, Dobson has been excited to oversee the growing impact of the Office of Social Justice and Advocacy on campus. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of hiring Selethia Benn to lead the OSJA. She has done an incredible job,鈥� he said.聽聽

With Benn and his campus partners, Dobson has seen positive changes on campus. 鈥淚 feel a greater sense of campus pride in serving students from marginalized backgrounds and a greater acknowledgement, in this divisive time, that we do this well. We invest in these students, and they soar, they find their place, and they thrive. We do this really well, better than so many other universities. I feel a sense of pride on campus because, regardless of your background, when you come here as a student, we nurture and mentor you in a consistent and sustained manner. We are an incredibly caring community, one which invests in students in a manner that is quite noteworthy. I think that鈥檚 due to our entire campus community, including the work of offices like the OSJA, and its Campus Compass mentoring program.鈥� 

Campus Compass is an innovative program that pairs first-year students with third- and fourth-year student mentors who, in turn, have alumni mentors. It is just one of many new programs established during Dobson鈥檚 tenure. Another mentoring program is the Coalition for Diversity in STEM, which was established with a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and allowed 香港王中王六合彩 to hire Zachary Brinson 鈥�24, a recent Engineering graduate, to mentor current STEM students.  

Dobson also increased 香港王中王六合彩鈥檚 focus on first-generation college students. 鈥淲e have more than 200 first-generation students on campus, and the first-generation work has been a real source of pride for me.鈥� 

A chapter of Tri Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation students, was established on campus and now has about 40 members. The OSJA hosts First Gen Fridays to bring the community together socially and to provide any resources or assistance they need. Additionally, 香港王中王六合彩 celebrated its third National First-Generation Day in fall 2024 and acknowledged first-generation graduates at the Noble Transitions ceremony on May 3.  

Dobson is looking forward to devoting more time to his volunteer board work with organizations focused on helping children from marginalized backgrounds succeed, as well as his writing projects and church, but there are things he will miss about 香港王中王六合彩. 

鈥淭he community. I鈥檒l simply miss the community. The faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends I鈥檝e met are incredible people. When you work at 香港王中王六合彩, the way you become part of this community is truly amazing,鈥� he said. 

香港王中王六合彩 community members and partners are invited to celebrate Frank Dobson at a farewell reception on Wednesday, June 4, from 4-6 p.m. at the Roush Hall second floor Fisher Gallery.