UC Announces Just Community Award Recipients

• A graduating UC senior who championed student issues on the local, state and national level
• A professor who created and led a peace village of dialogue and healing after the Cincinnati 2001 unrest and the September 11 attacks
• A professor devoted to recruiting and mentoring a diverse representation of students into the medical profession
• A UC medical student organization dedicated to serving the needs of urban communities in Greater Cincinnati

They all exemplify the University of Cincinnati’s principles for building a Just Community and will be honored with the Just Community Award.

The recipients of the Just Community Awards are selected from nominations by UC students, faculty and staff. To be considered for the award, the nominees must demonstrate a commitment to the Just Community ideals: The pursuit of learning and scholarship, celebrating the uniqueness of each individual, practicing civility, embracing freedom and openness, seeking integrity, promoting justice, striving for excellence and accepting responsibility. The 2003 recipients are:

Darren Tolliver

-- The UC political science senior from Toledo, Ohio is the undergraduate student representative appointed to the UC Board of Trustees and is outgoing undergraduate Student Body President. Tolliver is praised as an advocate for students, testifying before lawmakers in Columbus and leading education support rallies at the state capital as well as in Washington, D.C. Tolliver has organized student events with the UC African American Cultural and Research Center (AACRC), has served as a mentor for the AACRC’s Transitions program for incoming freshmen, is a member of the Sigma Sigma honorary fraternity, worked as a residence hall advisor and is a former president of the UC Residence Hall Association.

Steven Sunderland

-- The UC professor in the School of Social Work was recognized for his development of a peace village – initiating the community-wide creation of thousands of posters to promote discussion and healing from the April 2001 Cincinnati riots and the September 11 tragedies. Sunderland served as a facilitator in negotiations involving the settlement of the racial profiling lawsuit against the City of Cincinnati, and used his Posters 4 Peace campaign as part of that process. The Peace Village posters were featured in a 2001 award-winning exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Fitton Center for the Creative Arts in Hamilton, the Cincinnati Public Library, the Cincinnati Office of the National Association of Community and Justice, and in television documentaries. His Peace Village concept was presented at a national conference on service education.

Ronald Millard

-- The UC professor of pharmacology and cell biophysics was honored for his dedication to his medical students and to diversifying the medical profession. Millard has won federal funding to build the skills of students from varying backgrounds and cultures seeking entry into medicine. His research collaborations have involved proposals for NASA, the Nationals Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Millard has also developed and directed summer programs for minority students. In an outpouring of nominations, Millard was praised for mentoring both students and colleagues across the university, including the College of Medicine, College of Engineering and the College of Pharmacy. He has mentored students representing virtually every part of the world, including Romania, India, Mexico, Germany, Zambia, Thailand and Turkey.

Urban Health Project -- Founded in 1986, this UC medical student organization sponsors internships in urban clinics and social service agencies. The program is entirely student driven, with funding raised by the students.

All of the Just Community Award recipients will be honored at the university- wide recognition ceremony at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 18 at the Event Pavilion near the Alumni Center.