April 16, 2003 — The University of Utah has announced the recipients of its eighth annual Diversity Awards. The five honorees will be recognized at a luncheon on April 16, 2003, at 11:30 at the Alumni House.

The Diversity Awards are presented to units and individuals that demonstrate a long-term and effective commitment to enhancing diversity at the University of Utah. According to Karen Dace, the University’s associate vice president for diversity, the recipients together “contribute to a climate that moves us beyond tolerance to acceptance, celebration, and understanding. Their contributions do more than benefit those considered ‘diverse.’ Their contributions benefit the entire University of Utah campus and surrounding community.”

The 2003 Diversity Award recipients are:

Kathy Brooks: Director of the University’s Women’s Resource Center since 1989, Brooks worked to create a center that gives voice to all women, helping to organize the University’s first Women’s Week celebration, now an annual event on campus, and serving as one of the originators and planners of a seminar for women staff members.

Victoria E. Judd, M.D.: Currently the director of student health at the University, Judd is recognized for her previous work as dean of the Office of Admissions in the School of Medicine, where she promoted a diverse academic environment where all students were welcome.

Haruko Moriyasu: President of the Multi-Ethnic Development Corporation, Moriyasu was an advocate for the creation of a multi-ethnic high rise, providing housing for a number of elderly residents. She has helped to build the Asian Pacific American Studies program at the University and organized the annual conference of the Association for Asian American Studies.

Richard Scharine: A faculty member in the Department of Theatre and an adjunct faculty member in the Ethnic Studies Program, Scharine has developed two University courses, Black Theatre and Political Theatre; served as a member of the Theatre for Social Change Focus Group and a delegate-at-large for the Black Theatre Network; and helped establish People Productions, bringing performances of diverse artists to campus.

South Main Clinic: The University Clinic at South Main Public Health Center, a collaboration between the University of Utah and the Salt Lake Valley Health Department, provides prenatal, family planning, and pediatric care to underserved women and children in the community, and offers service-learning opportunities to health sciences students at the U.

For more information about the Diversity Awards, please contact Karen Dace or Leo Leckie at 801-581-7569.