The Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative honored two faculty members and two students with the 2012 Inclusive Excellence Award.
The award is given to individuals or groups who have made contributions to areas of diversity, such as gender, racial-ethnic background, language, religious belief, sexual orientation, disabilities and economic issues.
Here are this year’s recipients:
• April Langley is an associate professor of English and interim director of the Black Studies Program.
In 2010 she was nominated to the Diversity Enhancement Committee. As interim director of black studies, Langley is responsible for student advisement.
• Troy Balthazor is an information specialist for the Great Plains ADA Center and an adjunct teacher in parks, recreation and tourism at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
He has taught disabilities courses at MU and facilitated more than 12,000 hours of student volunteer work with individuals with disabilities.
• John Steven Cummins is a second-year medical student.
He founded MizzouMed Pride, a student interest group that supports medical students, faculty and staff interested in improving their understanding of issues facing LGBTQ patients, health care providers and students.
• Mahir Khan is a junior majoring in biological sciences and vice president of the Muslim Students Organization.
As a member of the Muslim Speakers Bureau of Columbia, Khan reaches out to community groups and organizations to offer educational materials on Islam.