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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives wish to congratulate Larine Cowan, Assistant
4 Chancellor and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and
5 Access at the University of Illinois, on her retirement; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Larine Cowan began her career in civil rights and
7 human rights as the Director of the Community Relations
8 Department for the City of Champaign, where she partnered with
9 a lieutenant with the Champaign Police Department and two
10 psychology professors at the University of Illinois to conduct
11 research resulting in the publication of an article entitled
12 "Police-Community Relations: A Process, Not a Product," and
13 changes in police and citizen interactions in the City of
14 Champaign; and
 
15     WHEREAS, She is active in the local community, serving on
16 several boards that provide services to pre-K through
17 elementary school children, families struggling with addiction
18 and substance abuse, women's issues, human and civil rights,
19 equity, access and economic parity; she is dedicated to State
20 and national organizations that promote social justice and
21 empowerment and she has received numerous awards and
22 recognition for her work in these areas; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, She has been devoted to a career in affirmative
2 action and diversity; she served as Assistant Vice Chancellor
3 for Administration and Director of Affirmative Action for Staff
4 for the University of Illinois where she led the campus in
5 establishing policies and procedures to advance the campus
6 affirmative action efforts for staff employees; as Assistant
7 Chancellor and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and
8 Access (OEOA), she introduced the first major campus-wide
9 diversity programs that were attended by deans, directors, and
10 department heads, and was instrumental in the development of
11 the first video produced on sexual harassment prevention and
12 the presentation of a series of campus programs on sexual
13 harassment prevention; and
 
14     WHEREAS, She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology
15 from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a Masters degree
16 in Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock,
17 and a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of
18 Illinois; she conducts and examines research on policies and
19 programs used to increase ethnic and racial diversity among
20 faculty at research universities; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Currently, she oversees the University's
22 Affirmative Action policies and procedures, including
23 compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; the
24 investigation of internal and external complaints of alleged

 

 

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1 discrimination filed with Federal and State Civil Rights
2 Agencies; the development and implementation of educational
3 programs on diversity, inclusion, sexual harassment
4 prevention, disability issues, and related topics for faculty
5 and staff to improve campus climate and to facilitate campus
6 and community outreach and engagement; therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
9 congratulate Larine Cowan on her retirement and wish her all
10 the best in her future endeavors; and be it further
 
11     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
12 presented to Larine Cowan as a symbol of our respect.