Interview with Dr. Don Pope-Davis, Dean of the College of Education and Ecology at The Ohio State University.

Today we’re talking with Dr. Don Pope-Davis, dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University.  Dr. Pope-Davis has led research focused on religious attitudes, multicultural competence and unintentional racism.  He shared about cultivating a diverse faculty and what his team has learned after a successful cycle of the Dean’s Diversity Postdoctoral Fellows Program.  Dr. Pope-Davis realized many institutions continued to use the same methods over and over without taking barriers into account.  He reminds us that we need to look at environmental factors and take a solution based approach rather than just rehashing the challenges.  Dr. Pope-Davis uses his psychology background and empathy when committing to diversity and inclusion.  He says that making that commitment means being ready to change the climate and environment in which you work.  All too often, people don’t understand that commitment.

The College of Education and Human Ecology has seen success to the tune of close to 35% faculty of color.  They’re committed to engaging these faculty members daily and continuously.  The program wasn’t without its hiccups.  In order to make these changes, you have to pay attention to the culture of the college, and culture is one of the most difficult things to change.  In order to combat this, they had various seminars and encouraged the fellows to center their own research rather than just what a senior scholar was already doing.  There was also some earlier work in the College that focused on hiring senior scholars of color.

Dr. Pope-Davis believes that in every institution you have individuals who typically fit into four categories.  There are the traditionalists that say things are fine the way they are. Those who are complacent who just want to be left alone.  There is the hubris that think everything is already great.  Lastly, there are the ones that say “I’m in, but what’s in it for me?”  The key is finding the people that are ready for change and work with them.  Dr. Pope-Davis says he doesn’t need everyone to be on board with a great idea.

For any institutions interested in implementing a similar program, they can connect with Dr. Nicole Luthy, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Operations, at luthy.22@osu.edu or Dr. Noelle Arnold, Senior Associate Dean and director of the program, at arnold.1040@osu.edu.