2008 Woodie Awards
Retiring VP of student affairs issues call to diversify Miami
Austin R. Fast
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Campus
In the same week that Miami University's new vice president for institutional diversity officially stepped into her position, 200 students, faculty and community members honored the memory of Cincinnati-area businessman and philanthropist Lavatus Powell, Jr.
The eighth annual Lavatus Powell Conference was specifically designed to instigate discussion and thought on issues of diversity at Miami. According to a distributed handout, Powell briefly worked as a public school teacher in Cincinnati before being employed at Procter & Gamble for 32 years, until his retirement in 1997.
Earl Pinkett and Lindsay Camacho, co-chairs of the Multicultural Concerts and Lectures Board of Campus Activities Council, opened the conference by pointing out the diverse array of student groups present, including the Associated Student Government (ASG) student senate, scholar leaders, multicultural groups and social fraternities.
Richard Nault, vice president for student affairs, served as the keynote speaker for the event. Nault, who is retiring this year, claimed that he views Powell as a role-model, especially for Powell's work teaching summer math classes in Oxford for local middle school students.
"When he retired, he demonstrated his values as he continued to give back to the community," Nault said. "He chose in his retirement to be a teacher."
After mentioning his respect for Powell's work in the Oxford area, Nault handed over a list he called, "Dick Nault's three rules for developing diversity."
"Creating communities that respect diversity has always been an interest for me," Nault said. "It remains one of the most complex issues we deal with in this nation."
Nault's first rule encouraged listeners to decide on the role of leadership in their lives. As he put it, they need to "know why or why not they're in the game."
The second rule on Nault's list was to walk the talk. He said it troubles him when people are doing little about improving diversity although they claim to care about it.
The eighth annual Lavatus Powell Conference was specifically designed to instigate discussion and thought on issues of diversity at Miami. According to a distributed handout, Powell briefly worked as a public school teacher in Cincinnati before being employed at Procter & Gamble for 32 years, until his retirement in 1997.
Earl Pinkett and Lindsay Camacho, co-chairs of the Multicultural Concerts and Lectures Board of Campus Activities Council, opened the conference by pointing out the diverse array of student groups present, including the Associated Student Government (ASG) student senate, scholar leaders, multicultural groups and social fraternities.
Richard Nault, vice president for student affairs, served as the keynote speaker for the event. Nault, who is retiring this year, claimed that he views Powell as a role-model, especially for Powell's work teaching summer math classes in Oxford for local middle school students.
"When he retired, he demonstrated his values as he continued to give back to the community," Nault said. "He chose in his retirement to be a teacher."
After mentioning his respect for Powell's work in the Oxford area, Nault handed over a list he called, "Dick Nault's three rules for developing diversity."
"Creating communities that respect diversity has always been an interest for me," Nault said. "It remains one of the most complex issues we deal with in this nation."
Nault's first rule encouraged listeners to decide on the role of leadership in their lives. As he put it, they need to "know why or why not they're in the game."
The second rule on Nault's list was to walk the talk. He said it troubles him when people are doing little about improving diversity although they claim to care about it.
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