2008 Woodie Awards
Candidates speak on state of diversity at Miami, potential for improvement
Vic Brotzman
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Campus
The search for a new vice president for institutional diversity continues, and Miami University wants to know each of the candidates as best it can before making a decision.
In order of their visits to Oxford, the candidates are Angel Martinez Loredo, Melva "Cookie" Newsom and Christine Taylor.
Loredo is currently the associate dean of students at the University of Maine, Orono, and Newsom is the director of diversity education and assessment at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Taylor is currently the assistant to the president for diversity at Ohio University.
The candidate selected for the position will be in charge of advancing the university's diversity objectives through advocacy and education, according to a release from the university.
Taylor visited the campus Tuesday, fielding questions at a public forum in Laws Hall. At the hour-long session, she took questions concerning what she envisioned for the university and what she personally would bring to the position.
In terms of what currently holds back Miami from reaching its diversity objectives, Taylor said the university needs to coordinate its efforts toward raising awareness of diversity.
"I've heard over and over again (that) there are lots of efforts on campus not necessarily as coordinated as they need to be," Taylor said.
When asked what Miami needed to work toward, she said the school's cultural background has "image issues."
"I think that perhaps the reality of Miami is not necessarily what the public views," Taylor said. "I think that who Miami is working towards needs to be marketed very, very, very carefully-that this really is a place where people who are different are welcome, that there really are opportunities for success here on campus. That would be a primary goal-closing that gap between the reality and perception."
Taylor posed a question to her audience, asking what they would hope to see from the new vice president. Those present, mostly faculty members, said they would define a successful vice presidency as one that unified the administration, as well as someone who was able to make sure all departments worked together and made it so that discussions of diversity would no longer be a recurring issue.
In order of their visits to Oxford, the candidates are Angel Martinez Loredo, Melva "Cookie" Newsom and Christine Taylor.
Loredo is currently the associate dean of students at the University of Maine, Orono, and Newsom is the director of diversity education and assessment at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Taylor is currently the assistant to the president for diversity at Ohio University.
The candidate selected for the position will be in charge of advancing the university's diversity objectives through advocacy and education, according to a release from the university.
Taylor visited the campus Tuesday, fielding questions at a public forum in Laws Hall. At the hour-long session, she took questions concerning what she envisioned for the university and what she personally would bring to the position.
In terms of what currently holds back Miami from reaching its diversity objectives, Taylor said the university needs to coordinate its efforts toward raising awareness of diversity.
"I've heard over and over again (that) there are lots of efforts on campus not necessarily as coordinated as they need to be," Taylor said.
When asked what Miami needed to work toward, she said the school's cultural background has "image issues."
"I think that perhaps the reality of Miami is not necessarily what the public views," Taylor said. "I think that who Miami is working towards needs to be marketed very, very, very carefully-that this really is a place where people who are different are welcome, that there really are opportunities for success here on campus. That would be a primary goal-closing that gap between the reality and perception."
Taylor posed a question to her audience, asking what they would hope to see from the new vice president. Those present, mostly faculty members, said they would define a successful vice presidency as one that unified the administration, as well as someone who was able to make sure all departments worked together and made it so that discussions of diversity would no longer be a recurring issue.
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