Ron Walker Fêted as an EOF Champion
For the past 17 years, Ron Walker has been a staunch advocate of the Rider University Educational Opportunity Program, and his loyal support was rewarded on Friday, November 14, when he was honored as an Equal Opportunity Fund Champion by the EOF Professional Association of New Jersey (EOFPA). Walker, the associate vice president for Academic Affairs and Institutional Analysis at Rider, received the award at the EOFPA’s 2008 Fall Conference and EOF 40th Anniversary Celebration on the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
The New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund Board of Directors created the EOF Champion Award in 2000 to honor non-EOF campus staff members who have campaigned for the institutional EOF programs over the years.
The Rider University Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) nominated Walker, who began work at Rider in 1991 as the assistant to the vice president for Academic Affairs. Upon his appointment, Walker immediately began playing a part in coordinating academic assessment for EOP, research analysis and EOP budgetary matters.
His duties expanded in 1996, when he was promoted to his current post, in which Walker and his office provide extensive survey administration and analysis, statistical modeling, and presentations to diverse audiences to support the college admissions and financial-aid processes, student satisfaction and retention outcomes assessment and institutional peer benchmarking.
“In both capacities, Ron has been a consistent supporter, advocate and personal colleague to the Educational Opportunity Program,” said Rubin Joyner, director of the Rider EOP, which works in concert with the EOF. “He has continued to support and consult on all EOP and diverse population policies, and has had a positive impact on EOP for a number of years. The program is very fortunate to have an individual like Ron in its corner.”
Walker says his relationship with EOP is one of his oldest at Rider, and one in which he takes particular pride. “The program creates such a supportive environment, and it’s really life-changing,” he explained. “The EOP faculty and staff create transformations in the students, and hearing their testimonials when they graduate, you realize the odds they beat to do so. The work we do for EOP is not just a dollars-and-cents issue, but is about providing as much opportunity and access as feasible.”
According to Educational Opportunity Fund criteria, EOF Champions have earned the collegial respect and admiration of the campus EOF program director, staff and students; demonstrated their dedication, advocacy, outspoken support and general commitment to the spirit and intent of EOF; provided multiple years of effective direct participation with EOF students above and beyond their normal work assignments; and developed new program approaches that have “made a difference” or had a significant impact on EOF students.
EOF established many initiatives that have since been widely incorporated into college life. These innovative strategies include precollege articulation, basic skills testing and remediation, systematic retention efforts, peer counseling and peer tutoring, academic support courses, multicultural curricula and human relations programming, student leadership development, and outcomes-based program evaluation.
