Both the Hispanic Oversight Committee and Dr. Frederick Aldama were recipients of the 2007-2008 Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Award, which recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity at The Ohio State University and to exceeding expectations in implementing the Diversity Action Plan.
Hispanic Oversight Committee (HOC)
Frederick Aldama,
Professor, Department of English
Hispanic Oversight Committee (HOC)
The HOC was created in 1989 as a committee of the Provost to address issues related to recruitment and retention of Hispanic/Latin@ faculty, staff, and students.
The HOC has found numerous ways to build unity at the University, including the implementation of the needs assessment survey for the Hispanic community and the production of the news magazine ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? The magazine has been published every quarter for 14 years and has been present on the web for the past eight. ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? has become an indispensable voice for OSU’s Hispanic community.
While HOC has been around for a number of years, it continues to take on new challenges to promote diversity on campus. One way it has evolved is through the development of other Hispanic groups, including the University-wide Council of Hispanic Organizations and the Organization of Hispanic Faculty and Staff.
“Receiving the University Diversity Enhancement award is an honor for all of us, and a recognition to the positive impact that HOC has had on the Hispanic community at Ohio State. Our activities would not be possible without the outstanding support we receive from Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Mac Stewart.”
— Dr. José Castro, HOC, Chair
Frederick Aldama,
Professor, Department of English
As an English professor at Ohio State, Aldama brings diversity to the department and the university in several ways. He actively recruits minority professors and students, has developed and taught classes pertaining to diversity and has helped organize a number of national conferences at Ohio State. Additionally, he is the current diversity officer within the Department of English, chair of the department’s Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee and the Director of the Latino/Latina Studies program.
Aldama is the author and editor of seven books earning him many accolades including the MLA prize for best book in the United States Latina and Latino and Chicana and Chicano Literary Cultural Studies for Dancing with Ghosts: A Critical Biography of Arturo Islas. His latest book, published in 2008, Why the Humanities Matter: A Common Sense Approach, brings a materialist/humanist approach to the study of translation, the subject, music, literature, and culture. Aldama has two forthcoming books in 2009, including Your Brain on Latino Comics: From Gus Arriola to Los Bros Hernandez.
Aldama received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1999.
“At OSU I have been able to fully live a life where its different threads -teaching, scholarship, and participating directly in the building of diversity in the recruiting and retaining of students of color- weave together into a seamless whole.“
— Dr. Frederick Aldama
In addition to Prof. Aldama and the HOC, the Latin@ community was also represented at the Distinguished Diversity Enhancement Awards by Dr. José Cruz Jr., from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Dr. Lilia Fernández representing the Department of History’s Faculty of Color Caucus. Congratulations to all the award recipients y gracias por sus esfuerzos!
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