New Members Appointed to President’s Advisory Council on Inclusiveness
Five members of the Saint Anselm College community have joined the President’s Advisory Council on Inclusiveness. Appointees for the 2008-09 year include: students, Shaun Leonard `10 and Ashley Gisiger `11; Yemi Mahoney, Director of the Multicultural Center; Carol Richards, Information Technology; and Dr. Keith Williams, English Department.
The two students appointed to the council, provide representation by the student body. Shaun Leonard `11, a sociology major from Jamaica Plain, Mass. and Ashley Gisiger `11, an honors program, politics major from San Diego, Calif.
Leonard’s primary focus is to ensure that Saint Anselm is recruiting a diverse student body, and fostering a healthy campus community. Gisiger believes her experience with various cultures through traveling and living in a diverse community in California, has broadened her perspective and understanding of an inclusive community. “I hope the council will continue to make our campus a more welcoming, open, and understanding place,” says Gisiger.
Keith Williams, Ph.D., professor of English, joined the college in 2007 and offers courses on African American Literature, as well as specialized topics in such areas as the U.S. Civil War and the Harlem Renaissance. He describes his understanding of inclusiveness to be “welcoming, understood and accepted.”
Yemi Mahoney, Director of the Multicultural Center, oversees all cultural programming and education opportunities offered by the college, and coordinates a Student Diversity Advisory Council, known as C.A.R.E. Since joining the college at the start of the 2008-09 academic year, she has launched a number of educational and cultural programs, including the “Taboo Tuesday” series and International Coffee Hours.
Carol Richards joins the council as a staff representative. Richards has been with the college for 11 years, and currently serves as the administrative assistant in the Office of Information Technology. Richards hopes to use this opportunity to “increase her personal awareness and then be able to participate in spreading that awareness throughout the community.”
Chaired by Denise Askin, Ph.D., Assistant to the President for Inclusiveness, the Council works closely with Father Jonathan and the cabinet to foster and direct progress toward institution-wide inclusiveness.
“The new members bring commitment, expertise, and energy to the initiative, and they have already made a huge impact on the council's direction,” says Askin. “I am particularly happy to have student and staff representation now--an important step toward developing the inclusive ‘voice’ so vital to the college.”
Since being formed in May of 2007, the council has tackled campus wide issues, including a campus climate assessment and follow-up, an inventory of the courses with inclusive content, Martin Luther King, Jr. programming, Web site development, and most recently, strategic planning for inclusiveness.
Photo courtesy of Fr. Mathias Durette, O.S.B.
Back row (l-r) Carol Richards, Shaun Leonard '11, Keith Williams, Ashley Gisiger '11
Front Yemi Mahoney