Fatima Rodriguez Johnson is the recipient of the 2017 INSIGHT Into Diversity Giving Back Award for administrators. It is the only national award that honors college and university administrators for going beyond their everyday leadership tasks and give back to their campuses and communities.
Rodriguez Johnson, assistant dean of students for multicultural programs and services at Geneseo, will be recognized in the April 2017 “Leadership Support and Giving Back” issue of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine, which is the oldest and largest diversity and inclusion magazine and website in higher education.
“By being named as the recipient of the Alicia Torres award this fall by the Ibero-American Action League of Rochester, and now by being named as a recipient of the INSIGHT Into Diversity Giving Back Award, both the region and the nation are now becoming familiar with what we have long known at Geneseo, that Fatima Rodriguez Johnson is a passionate student advocate, a remarkably talented community builder, and an inspirational force for inclusion and equity in our colleges and universities and in our neighborhoods, villages and cities,” says Robert Bonfiglio, vice president for student and campus life.
Rodriguez Johnson was nominated by her Geneseo colleagues, who say she works every day to build a sense of community. She is an integral member of the SUNY Geneseo President’s Commission on Diversity and Community, and created the Real World Geneseo program. The three-phase project connects coursework with a reflective lab to help a group of diverse students integrate their experiences into campus life and service-learning.
Nominators also applauded her communication skills, and ability to address larger issues as well as tend to needs of individual students. She is also instrumental in the structure, awarding and implementation of the Multicultural Fellows Program at Geneseo, a scholarship program designed to recognize the achievements of multicultural students on campus. She also volunteers her time on a program run by the Office of Admissions, in which admitted multicultural students come to campus for an overnight experience.