James L. Moore III, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University, has been selected by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) as the recipient of the 2022 Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award. The award is given annually to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to international education at public land-grant institutions.
Moore, a distinguished professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology and who leads the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), has launched numerous international programmatic initiatives at Ohio State that have benefited students across colleges enabling them to engage in multicultural educational opportunities on campus and abroad. He has facilitated international partnerships and the sharing of best practices, provided professional opportunities for staff, and established funding sources that have made international experiences a reality for those underrepresented students who may never had thought it was possible.
The Office of International Affairs (OIA) submitted the successful nomination, which was based on the collaborative relationship between ODI and OIA, and first-hand experience with Moore’s leadership and dedication to the importance of global engagement.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive the prestigious Michael P. Malone International Leadership Award,” Moore said. “In ODI, I have made major investments in education abroad experiences for our ODI scholars. I expect that these investments will continue in coming years. I look forward continuing to work with OIA to take things to another level.”
Throughout his career, Moore has worked deliberately to instill an expectation in students that they have an international experience during their college career. In the past five years, he has developed and led two major diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused education abroad programs, based on the theme of access to higher education, which has attracted over 200 students of diverse backgrounds; implemented the O-H-I-O education abroad scholarship; and supported education abroad programming in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Human Ecology, Engineering, Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, and Fisher College of Business that include content related to diversity and equity concerns, such as health disparities among populations, education, business, artistic expression and environmental sustainability.
Moore’s leadership and support also has benefited international and underrepresented student populations through a partnership with OIA and the creation of the Critical Dialogue Series and the Fall Break Social Justice trips. These experiential programs deepen student awareness and understanding of critical community and global issues and includes field-based learning to local neighborhoods and U.S. cities of cultural and historical significance.
Another one of his major international exchange initiatives is the $4.5 million USAID grant in which ODI is the lead partner in the United States. It brings higher education leaders from multiple institutions in the Dominican Republic and the U.S. in the exploration of intervention programs in support of vulnerable and marginalized youth in the Dominican Republic. The ODI team and Moore have shared their expertise by providing exemplary educational models designed to improve education and career outcomes for disadvantaged youth. Incorporating aspects from a variety of pioneering programs, such as the pre-collegiate and collegiate experiences and practices honed by ODI’s Young Scholars Program (YSP – first-generation students with high financial need), Dominican counterparts have been able to design bridge projects that help students transition from secondary school to higher education.
“There are countless ways in which Dr. Moore has contributed immensely to the internationalization of the Ohio State campus, and he is most deserving of this prestigious award,” said Gil Latz, vice provost for global strategies and international affairs. “His international initiatives provide incomparable learning opportunities for students and powerful collaborations with faculty and partners across the globe.”
The Malone Award honors the legacy of the late Michael P. Malone, a champion of international education and one-time chair of the APLU Commission on International Education. The award was established in 2000 by APLU to provide national recognition for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to international education at APLU member institutions.