Former U.S. Department of Education official joins Ohio State

COLUMBUS – With Spanish as his native language, José Simón Villa struggled to communicate with his elementary school teachers and classmates during the 1950s in the United States.

This language barrier was just one of the obstacles Villa had to overcome to get where he is today – assistant vice provost of the Office of Minority Affairs at The Ohio State University.

A son of migrant workers, Villa and his family rarely spent more than a couple months in the same city. This lifestyle hampered his ability to learn the English language, causing him to fall behind in school. Soon he believed that graduating from high school was an unachievable dream.

“All of these things prohibited me from having a normal educational experience,” Villa said. “I felt like I was always a step behind academically. It made me feel like education wasn’t worth the challenge.”

But Villa said his parents encouraged him to pursue his education, and he took their advice to heart. Now, after earning a doctorate degree, Villa hopes to help other Hispanic and minority students at The Ohio State University pursue their professional dreams.

“Because of my experiences, I can relate to the difficulties and problems of college students,” Villa said. “It’s because of my background that I continue to advocate the importance of an education. As my Dad used to say: ‘An education, nobody can take away from you.’”

Villa said he is encouraged by the direction Ohio State is heading toward improving diversity on campus. He cited the university’s Diversity Action Plan as the driving force behind the university’s progress.

He also is pleased with a recent report that ranks Ohio State in the top 20 for awarding doctoral degrees to Hispanic students. According to a recent edition of “The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education” journal, Ohio State ranked No.17 in the nation during the 1999-2000 academic year, which is up from 33 during the previous year.

Villa plans to help the university continue its momentum and strive for improvement in the future.

“I want to continue to increase the expectations and the accomplishments of The Ohio State University,” Villa said. “I want Hispanic and minority students to realize that Ohio State has a strong program for recruitment and retention.”

Mac Stewart, vice provost for Minority Affairs, said Villa’s professional experience will be an asset to the department.

“Dr. Villa is an accomplished man who is personally committed to making sure that diversity is an institutional reality on campus,” Stewart said. “His vast experience will help to make Ohio State a leading institution for educating minority students.”

Among Villa’s priorities for his position are: to develop a mentoring program for undergraduate students; to help position Ohio State as a leading institution for enrollment of Hispanic and minority students; to create academic programs that focus on ethnic studies of the Hispanic population; and to increase the number of Hispanic faculty and students. He also plans to work closely with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to improve networking and recruitment opportunities for Ohio State.

“Ohio State is working hard to recruit more Hispanic and minority students,” Villa said. “It is the university’s goal to become one of the top ranking institutions in the nation for attracting minority students and graduating them. I plan to work closely with the university’s students, faculty and staff to achieve that goal.”

For Villa, who earned a bachelor’s of science degree in curriculum and instruction and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Oregon, helping students succeed academically has been a part of his professional life. After serving as a mentor to a doctoral student at Ohio State, he realized the importance of serving as a role model in higher education.

Villa came to Ohio State in 1977 to pursue a doctorate in higher education administration and earned his degree in December 1982. He served the Ohio State community for more than a decade as an adviser for the Office of Developmental Education and later as a coordinator for the Office of Hispanic Affairs.

“I know how difficult it is to get to where I am today,” Villa said. “When I went through my doctoral program, I didn’t have anyone to help me. My experiences have enabled me to understand the difficulties students will encounter and to help them learn how to endure these challenges.”

Villa then joined the Ohio Department of Education in 1990 as the state coordinator of the homeless children program and state director of migrant education. Among other things, he coordinated the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program. He also directed the State Migrant Education Program and wrote the program’s annual state plans. In 2000, he began working as an education program specialist for the U.S. Department of Education, where he served as an expert on migrant education. Among other duties, he worked with colleges and universities to ensure that high school equivalency programs and the College Assistant Migrant Programs were helping children of migrant workers obtain their General Educational Development (G.E.D.) diploma and attend college to meet their educational goals.

Villa said he is pleased to have the opportunity to make a difference at his alma mater.

“I just feel happy that I am back at Ohio State,” Villa said. “I think I will be able to contribute to the goals the university is moving toward with Hispanic and minority faculty and students.”