Benjamin D. Reese Jr. to Head Duke Office of Institutional Equity

Benjamin D. Reese Jr., who has been serving as Duke University's vice president for institutional equity on an interim basis, has been selected by President Richard H. Brodhead to remain as the institution's leader of efforts to promote diversity and foster equal opportunity within both the university and the health system.

Brodhead announced Reese's appointment in a memorandum to his senior officers group and university deans in which he reaffirmed his personal commitment to these values and issues, saying "universities are both fairer and more effective places when they draw on the full talent of a varied population." [A copy of the memo is attached below.]

Reese, 58, joined Duke in 1996 as an assistant vice president in the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), where he oversaw efforts to enhance cross-cultural relations across the institution. He is a clinical psychologist who has worked for more than 30 years as a consultant to universities, hospitals and other organizations in the areas of race relations, diversity and conflict resolution.

In May 2003, President Nannerl O. Keohane appointed Reese interim vice president for institutional equity until Duke's new president was ready to fill the position permanently. The position had been held for the previous three years by Sally M. Dickson, who left for a post at Stanford University.

Brodhead, who succeeded Keohane on July 1, said he selected Reese because of his strong leadership in promoting diversity and advancing employment practices that serve employees and enhance the values of the institution.

"Ben brings the skills of a gifted mediator to his leadership of OIE, and he has helped numerous groups at the University and in the Health System work through diversity issues in the work environment," Brodhead said. "He is an educator who has shown his value as an advisor to administrators, faculty, and employees. We are fortunate to have Ben leading our efforts to promote equal opportunity in hiring and foster respect for others among our employees."

In his memo, Brodhead emphasized that "the Office of Institutional Equity will not and cannot succeed on its own," and said he would work closely with the senior leadership "to work with Ben to identify units whose appointments history is problematic on diversity issues so that they can receive special attention. As a further step, we will reconstitute a university-wide diversity committee to coordinate our efforts across schools and the Duke University Health System."

OIE helps ensure the institution's compliance with the letter and spirit of laws regarding equal opportunity, affirmative action, equal access and prohibited discrimination. Reese and his staff develop and implement strategies to enhance equity and diversity within departments and work areas across the university and health system. They organize a variety of workshops and programs and provide consultation to individual supervisors, faculty, students and others in areas ranging from sexual harassment concerns to assisting employees in mediating cross-cultural disputes. Reese also serves as the university's affirmative action and Title IX officer.

Prior to assuming his current post, Reese served for seven years as the office's assistant vice president for cross-cultural relations, where he helped create and lead a diversity initiative at Perkins Library that was co-winner of Duke's first Diversity Award. He also developed a diversity planning guide for managers and coordinated the development of an online module on "Equity & Employment" for physicians. He was co-leader of the Diversity Leadership Group in Duke Hospital, an initiative he helped develop to increase staff diversity and improve the equity of work processes and systems. He also has helped develop a similar initiative for Duke's health system.

Since joining Duke, he also has served as an associate adjunct professor with the departments of psychology and of community and family medicine. In this role, he participates on dissertation committees, mentors doctoral students and conducts seminars in the areas of diversity and cross-cultural communication.

"Equity and diversity issues don't belong to a single office," Reese said. "They should lie at the heart of our business processes and work culture. President Brodhead and I are working closely with other senior leaders to strengthen our strategy to enhance the diversity of the senior leadership, faculty and university, and of health system managers. While it is important to continue ensuring Duke's compliance with its legal obligations in these areas, we must be proactive in building and sustaining an environment where all within our Duke community can strive, advance and have the opportunity to make significant contributions at all levels."

Reese moved to North Carolina from New York, where he held positions as associate director of The Fifth Avenue Center for Counseling and Psychotherapy; a psychologist in private practice; ombudsperson for The Rockefeller Foundation; and founder and director of The Institute for the Study of Culture and Ethnicity. He currently serves on the board of Leadership North Carolina and the editorial board of Conflict Resolution Quarterly and is a contributing editor to the magazine of the Association for Conflict Resolution.

Reese's wife, Cynthia L. Frazier, is a clinical psychologist with a practice in Raleigh. He has two older sons and a 14-year-old daughter.

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A copy of Brodhead's Jan. 12 memo to his senior officers group and university deans follows below:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Benjamin D. Reese, Jr. to the position of Vice President for Institutional Equity. This is the first vice presidential appointment I have had occasion to make, and I am happy to welcome Ben to my leadership team.

For the past sixteen months Ben has been leading the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) on an interim basis. The functions of OIE include overseeing the University's commitments to equal opportunity in employment and affirmative action. It also implements the University's policies that foster a work environment that is free of harassment and one that fosters cross-cultural understanding. The office concentrates on staff appointments issues; it can also assist on equity aspects of faculty appointments in consultation with the Provost and the Deans.

Ben brings the skills of a gifted mediator to his leadership of OIE, and he has helped numerous groups at the University and in the Health System work through diversity issues in the work environment. He is an educator who has shown his value as an advisor to administrators, faculty, and employees. In evaluating Ben, the review committee noted: "He leads seminars and groups particularly well, making difficult points about diversity in ways that connect with audiences." His style is highly collaborative, making him an effective leader in bringing together individuals with different points of view. Again quoting from the committee report: "He models a respectful, thoughtful and informed way of interacting with people of all ranks and backgrounds. This kind of integrity is a key part of what makes him ultimately effective."

We are fortunate to have Ben leading our efforts to promote equal opportunity in hiring and foster respect for others among our employees. But the Office of Institutional Equity will not and cannot succeed on its own. We will make progress toward these important goals to the extent that all of us in leadership positions remain deeply and visibly committed to the value of equity and mutual respect, engaging Ben and his staff as partners and helpers toward these ends.

I would like to use this occasion to reaffirm my own commitment to the values the OIE promotes. American experience teaches that universities are both fairer and more effective places when they draw on the full talent of a varied population. Duke has made as much progress on these scores as any university that I know, but we still have ground to gain. With your help, I am determined that we will continue to move forward during my tenure as President.

I also want to mention some steps we are taking to strengthen the role of OIE. Given the centrality of the issues this office oversees to the university as a whole, I have asked that Ben continue to report to the President, and I will meet with him on a monthly basis to review progress across the institution. In addition, I've asked Chancellor for Health Affairs Victor Dzau, Provost Peter Lange, and Executive Vice President Tallman Trask to meet regularly with Ben to keep each other apprised of developments in their areas and to build a strong and effective partnership. I have also asked these senior officers to work with Ben to identify units whose appointments history is problematic on diversity issues so that they can receive special attention. As a further step, we will reconstitute a university-wide diversity committee to coordinate our efforts across schools and the Duke University Health System.

As I announce Ben's appointment, I want to remind each of you of the part you have to play in assuring his success. Promoting the values of non-discrimination and mutual respect is the responsibility of each of us in oversight and leadership roles. By fully integrating these values into our daily operations, we will move toward the day we all look forward to: the day when we no longer need to take trouble about these matters because they have become second nature to us all. Until that day arrives, we are fortunate to have the OIE office with Ben as its new leader.