ATHENS, Ohio -- Erek Perry has been appointed assistant to the president at Ohio University effective Aug. 1. Since 1998, he had served as assistant to the dean for minority recruitment and retention for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Perry will be responsible for creating, maintaining and coordinating university matters pertaining to student, faculty and staff diversity. His job duties include implementing a university-wide diversity plan and collaborating with university staff members responsible for minority student recruiting and retention. He also will oversee minority student scholarship programs and coordinate a network of support services for minority students with the help of other university offices and departments.
"The addition to the president's staff of a person whose primary responsibility is issues of diversity expresses our institutional commitment to improving Ohio University's recruitment and retention of a multicultural student body, faculty and staff," Ohio University President Robert Glidden said. "Erek is the ideal choice for this assignment because he knows the university, is widely respected, has a proven track record of effectiveness with diverse groups and has great ideas about how we can improve. I'm personally delighted that he has agreed to take on this major responsibility."
Professionally, Perry has been on university committees that reviewed the function of University College and the African-American Studies Department. Most recently, he was a member of the President's Diversity Council as well as the Synergy Team that addressed minority retention and recruitment issues.
In 1993, Perry began his career at Ohio University as a Residence Life administrator. In 1995, he joined the Office of Admissions as an admissions counselor and program coordinator before being promoted to assistant director in 1997.
A native of Columbia, S.C., Perry earned a master's degree in education with a specialization in higher education administration from Ohio University in 1995. In 1992, he received a bachelor's degree in social sciences from Shawnee State University.
