JBU Establishes Office of Diversity
SILOAM SPRINGS, Arkansas (Oct. 2, 2020) – Committed to strengthening diversity on campus, John Brown University announced today the formation of the Office of Diversity, directed by Dr. Ted Song, coordinator of diversity.
Additional staff include: Juan Carlos Rodriguez, associate coordinator of diversity; Lakisha Bradley, assistant coordinator of minority student care; Bridgette Grigsby, assistant coordinator of first-generation Latinx student care and Amanda Cunningham, administrative assistant. Junior photojournalism major María Aguilar serves as diversity communication assistant.
“JBU is committed to diversity, and the establishment of the Office of Diversity is another step toward progress in this area,” Song said. “This group will collaborate to serve the JBU community, where we work to promote and celebrate diversity.”
Some of the projects already in the works include revising the institution’s diversity statement, offering a colloquium course for students to ask and learn about diversity, and providing formal and informal events to discuss how diversity is related to Christian faith.
Song worked with JBU President Chip Pollard to recruit staff members for the past couple of months.
“I am grateful to Dr. Song for his leadership and vision to create the Office of Diversity and for the team members that have joined him in this work,” said President Pollard. “I look forward to how the Office of Diversity will serve the JBU community and help us better encourage, understand, reflect and rejoice in the rich diversity of God’s kingdom.”
The office also aims to educate future leaders who can serve and communicate cross-culturally.
“Providing diversity in both academic curriculum and spiritual formation is critical to this effort,” Song said. “We seek to contribute to the whole-person education that will equip students to lead in various environments.”
The office, in conjunction with the Diversity Committee, will coordinate various efforts on campus that encourage and showcase diversity.
For more information about diversity at JBU, visit www.jbu.edu/diversity.
John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked regional university (U.S. News Best Colleges, 2021), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 48 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, biology, family and human services, and graphic design. Eighteen graduate programs are available in the areas of business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.
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