Brunson Succeeds Nottingham as Director of the Office of Campus Diversity
7/7/2004 2:30:09 PM
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July 7, 2004
By Charlotte Laé, PR Intern
Wilmington, N.C. —Deborah Brunson, associate professor of communication studies, has been appointed the interim director of the Office of Campus Diversity at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She replaces Joanne Nottingham who served in this position for five years. Nottingham will return to teaching as a faculty member in the Department of Specialty Studies in the Watson School of Education and will still be the faculty coordinator of the Leadership Studies Minor and faculty adviser for Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) National Leadership Honor Society.
Joanne Nottingham arrived at UNCW from the University of Miami 10 years ago as a faculty member. When she filled the position at the Office of Campus Diversity in 1999, her first challenge was to increase the number of students visiting the Upperman African American Cultural Center and the Office of Campus Diversity (OCD). “I wanted to stabilize the department and bring some consistency after three different directors in the past three years,” she said.
The OCD’s mission is to promote the academic and personal development of students from underrepresented groups and assist them with their progress towards degree completion. The Upperman African-American Cultural Center (UAACC) is the cultural part of the OCD which maintains a collection of videotapes, periodicals and books.
“The OCD and the Upperman Center are now seen as open and welcoming places for all students on campus,” she said. “I am also proud of opening avenues of discussion between majority faculty and staff and minorities. It is good to know that you opened a conversation that isn’t finished,” Nottingham continued.
She also hopes Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo will bring aspects of her vision of soaring to greatness to the Office of Campus Diversity. “It is ready to change with the rest of the university,” she said.
Until a candidate fills the position, Deborah Brunson will be the interim director of the Office of Campus Diversity. She arrived at UNCW in 1991, and she has a Ph.D. from Florida State University. Brunson wants to continue to build upon the work of Nottingham.
“I truly believe in the purpose of this office, not only on campus, but also in the community. And, I appreciate the strong and visible support of our chancellor. This is an exciting time for the campus and The Office of Campus Diversity looks forward to working with others to support the initiatives that advance the university’s mission,” Brunson said.
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Media Contact: Deborah Brunson may be reached at 910/962-3832 or e-mail brunsond@uncw.edu.
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Deborah Brunson
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