HR0311 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0311 LRB096 12502 KXB 25568 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Larine Cowan, Assistant Chancellor and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at the University of Illinois, on her retirement; and

WHEREAS, Larine Cowan began her career in civil rights and human rights as the Director of the Community Relations Department for the City of Champaign, where she partnered with a lieutenant with the Champaign Police Department and two psychology professors at the University of Illinois to conduct research resulting in the publication of an article entitled "Police-Community Relations: A Process, Not a Product," and changes in police and citizen interactions in the City of Champaign; and

WHEREAS, She is active in the local community, serving on several boards that provide services to pre-K through elementary school children, families struggling with addiction and substance abuse, women's issues, human and civil rights, equity, access and economic parity; she is dedicated to State and national organizations that promote social justice and empowerment and she has received numerous awards and recognition for her work in these areas; and

WHEREAS, She has been devoted to a career in affirmative action and diversity; she served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Administration and Director of Affirmative Action for Staff for the University of Illinois where she led the campus in establishing policies and procedures to advance the campus affirmative action efforts for staff employees; as Assistant Chancellor and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA), she introduced the first major campus-wide diversity programs that were attended by deans, directors, and department heads, and was instrumental in the development of the first video produced on sexual harassment prevention and the presentation of a series of campus programs on sexual harassment prevention; and

WHEREAS, She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois; she conducts and examines research on policies and programs used to increase ethnic and racial diversity among faculty at research universities; and

WHEREAS, Currently, she oversees the University's Affirmative Action policies and procedures, including compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; the investigation of internal and external complaints of alleged discrimination filed with Federal and State Civil Rights Agencies; the development and implementation of educational programs on diversity, inclusion, sexual harassment prevention, disability issues, and related topics for faculty and staff to improve campus climate and to facilitate campus and community outreach and engagement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Larine Cowan on her retirement and wish her all the best in her future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Larine Cowan as a symbol of our respect.