Librarian receives Woman of Color Award

Janice Rice, senior academic librarian in College Library and member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, has been selected as UW–Madison’s recipient of the 14th annual UW System Outstanding Women of Color in Education Award.

Rice was honored along with recipients from other UW System institutions at an awards ceremony and luncheon on April 4.

In addition to her libraries duties, Rice served on the design team and the implementation team for the 2008 Campus Diversity Forum. In 2002, she co-chaired an American Indian symposium that resulted in the implementation of significant goals for the American Indian campus community.

On a national level, she is immediate past president of the American Indian Library Association and co-chair of the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color II 2012. She has hosted campus administrators in visits to Ho-Chunk communities and supported the City of Madison’s diversity efforts through Communities United. During her campus library career, she has managed College Library’s Ethnic Studies Collection as a vehicle for promoting cultural awareness and understanding.

“I am very fortunate to work in an institution that encourages intellectual freedom, respect for all cultures, and promotes collaboration and unity,” Rice says, noting that she’s “thrilled and very honored” to have been selected.

To improve diversity and climate on campus, she advises faculty and staff to “listen to the voices of the young people and invest time and resources to promising young stars. You will know who they are.”

Because UW System allows each UW institution to forward only one nominee, UW–Madison has created multiple awards to honor the excellence, work and contributions of its many outstanding women of color faculty, staff, students and community members. This year marks the second annual UW–Madison Outstanding Women of Color awards.

They are:

• Peggy Choy, lecturer and senior outreach specialist, Dance Program and Southeast Asian studies
• Sheri Williams Pannell, MFA candidate, Department of Theatre and Drama
• Le Ondra Clark, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Counseling Psychology
• May Lee Moua-Vue, student services coordinator, International Student Services

All will be honored at a reception hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate, scheduled for Monday, April 13, at the Pyle Center.

The full list of UW System awardees is available at Outstanding Women of Color Awards.