Patrice Dickerson, assistant dean, College of Arts and Sciences, will head the new Office for Strategic Recruitment and Diversity, concentrating on recruitment and diversity issues related to undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students.

As director of diversity for the Arts and Sciences, Dickerson has been instrumental in developing and implementing programs to increase the number of minorities and women entering graduate programs in the arts and sciences. She will bring these same efforts to the recruitment of a diverse community of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

"It is imperative that we continue to support and nurture diversity efforts throughout the College of Arts and Sciences," said Joseph Steinmetz, executive dean and vice provost. "With the Office of Strategic Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives, we now have the infrastructure necessary to develop and sustain a continuum of diversity programs specifically targeted to the recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented students."

Dickerson received her PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to Ohio State, she was an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati. She is a member of the Association of Black Sociologists, the American Sociological Association, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals, and National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.