Stanford honors emerita staff member and the Office of Multicultural Affairs with 2015-16 President’s Award for Excellence Through Diversity

An emerita staff member known for her integrity, humility and fierce commitment to diversity education, and a campus center that coordinates diversity programs within the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences will each receive a 2015-16 President’s Award for Excellence Through Diversity.

Stanford established the awards in 2009 to recognize and honor individuals and programs that have made exceptional contributions to enhancing and supporting diversity within the campus community.

This year’s individual winner is Sally Dickson , an emerita staff member who is currently serving as special assistant to President John Hennessy. When she retired from Stanford last year, she was the associate vice provost for student affairs and dean of educational resources. She also served as associate vice provost for faculty development.

The program winner is the Office of Multicultural Affairs within the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. Its mission is to promote a unified community of inclusion, respect and excellence through the development of a student body, staff and faculty that reflects the diversity of our national communities and international partners. The award cited the exemplary leadership of Jerry Harris, associate dean of the office.

President John Hennessy will present the awards at a private ceremony this week.

Sally Dickson

Sally Dickson (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

Dickson was honored “for more than 20 years of addressing diversity through purposeful engagement,” and, as one colleague noted, her “fearless” advocacy and “uncommon diplomacy.”

The award citation commended her “for leading the development of programs and student resources, including the Innovations in Diversity, Engagement and Awareness (IDEA) Grant; the Faces of Community New Student Orientation program; the Diversity and First-Gen Office;
the LGBT Community Resources Center;
and The Markaz: Resource Center.”

Dickson was honored “for encouraging dialogue and moderating challenging discussions, so that common ground may be found.”

She was lauded “for her service and leadership as a teacher, mentor, adviser and guide.”

Dickson also was commended “for her integrity, humility and fierce commitment to diversity education, which have inspired countless students and colleagues
to carry forward her work.”

Office of Multicultural Affairs

The Office of Multicultural Affairs in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences was honored for its efforts “to foster institutional excellence by coordinating diversity programs in the school.”

Jerry Harris (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

The award citation commended Jerry Harris, associate dean of the school’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, for his “exemplary leadership in creating opportunities for underrepresented minorities and low-income students at Stanford, serving on
the STEM Fellows Program Review Committee and
the Leland Scholars Program, and playing a key role in the creation
of the Summer Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering (SURGE) program.”

Harris is the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Professor in Geophysics at Stanford.

He was honored “for facilitating diversity through partnerships and alliances with others off campus and on.”

Harris was lauded “for promoting faculty diversity and championing recruitment and retention efforts in the school.”

He also was commended “for advancing the university’s commitment to diversity and inspiring new generations to pursue
the Earth, energy and environmental sciences.”