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Photo of Rhetaugh Dumas

Rhetaugh Dumas was an esteemed leader with vision, insight, and wise counsel who had a major impact in the advancement of nursing, health care, and academic programs at U-M. Vice Provost Emerita Dumas was the first African-American woman to hold the position of a Dean at the University of Michigan when she was appointed in 1981. She remained Dean of Nursing until 1994, when she was named the inaugural vice provost for health affairs and the Lucille Cole Professor of Nursing. Prior to those appointments, she was the first woman and first nurse to serve as a deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Dumas was Deputy Director, Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (1979-1981) and before that, Chief, Psychiatric Nursing Education Branch of the Division of Manpower and Training Programs (1972-1976). She was also a founding member, a Charter Fellow, and a former president of the American Academy of Nursing. Dumas served the University of Michigan for over 20 years with vision and a commitment to excellence.

The rationale for the Rhetaugh G. Dumas Award is that achievement of a diverse faculty requires an institutional commitment to change that transcends the impact of individual actors. The full professor rank presents the zenith of faculty career ranks. Having concurrent ethnic/racial and gender diversity in the faculty holding the rank of full and associate professors, tenured and non-tenured, provides an emblematic statement about the institutional commitment of that unit to implementing a climate of inclusion. Thus, the Academic Women’s Caucus seeks nominations of units that have demonstrated the vision, commitment and dedication to achieve a truly diverse faculty.

Nominations

The application is now closed and will reopen September 2024.

The Academic Women’s Caucus annually accepts nominations for the Rhetaugh G. Dumas Progress in Diversifying award. Selection is based on the academic unit’s goals to increase the equity and inclusion of new and existing diverse faculty by race and gender, potential impact of those goals, and progress towards reaching those goals.

Nominations from all three University of Michigan campuses – Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn, are encouraged.

A Unit Leader is required to attend the Award Ceremony that will happen in Winter Term 2025.

Questions? Contact Dr. Tiffany Marra at [email protected]; Dr. Patricia Coleman-Burns at [email protected] or Dr. Marilee Benore at [email protected].

Award Recipients

2024

U-M Marsal Family School of Education

2023

U-M Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

2022

U-M Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering
U-M School of Kinesiology

2021

U-M School of Information

2020

U-M Women’s Studies Department

2019

U-M School of Nursing

2018

UM-Dearborn’s College of Engineering and Computer Science

2015

U-M Department of Communication Studies, LSA

2014

Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health

2013

Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Division of General Pediatrics

2011

The American Culture Department of College of Literature, Science and the Arts

2010

Department of Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts