Christine Ballengee-Morris named director of the Multicultural Center

COLUMBUS -- Christine Ballengee-Morris, interim director of the Multicultural Center at The Ohio State University since 2001, has been named to the position on a permanent basis.

William H. Hall, vice president for student affairs, and Barbara R. Snyder, interim executive vice president and provost, announced Tuesday (1/13) that they will recommend Ballengee-Morris’s appointment to the university’s Board of Trustees. The Multicultural Center is a partnership between the Office of Student Affairs, headed by Hall, and the Office of Academic Affairs, headed by Snyder.

“Vice President Hall and I are delighted that Professor Ballengee-Morris will serve as the director of the Multicultural Center,” Snyder said. “As interim director, she did an outstanding job of inaugurating and establishing the center as a visible presence on our campus. She has worked effectively to partner with the offices of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs on a number of important university initiatives. I very much look forward to her continuing leadership for this important resource for our faculty, students and staff.”

Hall concurred: “Christine has done an excellent job as interim director. She has dealt effectively with many challenges related to getting a new operation going and bringing a diverse staff into a shared vision. Under her leadership, the Multicultural Center is forging partnerships and developing programs that innovatively and creatively address many dimensions of multiculturalism and diversity”

Ballengee-Morris, an associate professor of art education at Ohio State’s Newark campus since 1995, has an extensive background in teaching, research, service and administration. A scholar of indigenous, Appalachian and multicultural arts, she is a frequent contributor to professional publications and conferences. She is the author of two books now in press-- Altar Art and Connective Aesthetics: Cultures, Healing, and Education and Integrated Curricula: Visual Culture and High School. Ballengee-Morris currently is serving a three-year term as president of the United States Society for Education through Art. She is a member of the editorial board of Studies in Art Education, the publication of the National Art Education Association, and recently completed a term on the editorial board of the Journal of Cultural Studies. Earlier in her career, she was a public school teacher in West Virginia and North Carolina and co-producer of cultural arts for the West Virginia Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority. She earned her B.S. and M.A. in art education at Miami University and her Ph.D. in the same field from Pennsylvania State University.

The Multicultural Center, located in the Ohio Union, was established in 2001 and embraces an inclusive definition of culture. It provides intellectual and cultural enrichment programs and services for students, faculty, staff and the community. Its goal is to create a community environment that recognizes cultural differences, respects cultural uniqueness and facilitates cross-cultural interaction, learning and appreciation. It focuses on academics, student services, advocacy, and community development and outreach programs.

The following offices are part of the Multicultural Center: American Indian Student Services, Asian American Student Services, African American Student Services, Hispanic Student Services: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Services; Women Student Services; Rape Education and Prevention Program; and New Diversity Initiatives. The center has several programs that focus on student retention and leadership development: Men’s Initiative, BOLD Program (Bank One Leadership Development), and Nationwide Diversity Leadership Transcript Program.