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Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher

Dr. Ronald A. Crutcher, a national leader in higher education and a distinguished classical musician, was the President of the University of Richmond from 2015-2021. Dr. Crutcher is also President Emeritus of Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Prior to Wheaton, he was Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University of Ohio. In August 2021, he was named a Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Dr. Crutcher writes and speaks widely on the value of liberal education, the democratic purposes of higher education, diversity and inclusion, and free expression on college campuses. He is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of the American Council on Education (ACE), a Senator of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, a member of the Board of Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad), and a member of the Board of Governors of Bard College Berlin. For the University of Richmond, he serves as a board member of the Jepson Scholars Foundation and the Spider Management Company. He previously served on the boards of the Posse Foundation, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the Fulbright Association, and he was Chair of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts. His thematic memoir, , was published in February 2021.

The Ode as Self Portrait

Award-winning poet, storyteller and performer, Harold Green III, specializes in making poetry an accessible art form for all. Harold will share some of the poems from his latest books, and help you create a poetic tribute to yourself or someone else.

Harold’s two books of ode-style poems Black Roses and Black Oak were recently published by Harper Collins.

In Black Roses Harold pays tribute to all Black women by focusing on visionaries and leaders who are making history right now, including Ava DuVernay, Janelle Monae, Kamala Harris, Misty Copeland, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Robin Roberts, Roxane Gay, and Simone Biles.

As he did for Black women in Black Roses, Harold Green III, poet and founder of the music collective Flowers for the Living, now honors the Black men he most admires—groundbreakers including Tyler Perry, Barry Jenkins, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúy Porter, Chance the Rapper, LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, and John Legend—and celebrates their achievements which are transforming lives.

Hear Harold perform his own moving works and inspire you to create your own in this exciting workshop.

Shariffa Ali & Jono Gasparro

Radical Hospitality Workshop

Join visiting artists Shariffa Ali and Jono Gasparro in this interactive workshop that will help us all build relationships, spread joy and create stronger communities.

The Radical Hospitality workshop was created with Shariffa Ali, the Creative Director of the Electric Root Festival. One of the central pedagogies of the Festival is the idea of Radical Hospitality, which underscores the importance of human connection, making everyone feel like a VIP and getting to know each other on a deeper level. The Radical Hospitality workshop encourages people to participate in meaningful conversations about their origin stories, why they chose ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú as a place of employment or study, and how they want to leave an impact on the world.

Michael Mwenso

Ancestral Communal Listening

Black roots music contains windows to the Black experience. Gain a deeper understanding with musician and educator Michael Mwenso as he shares the powerful gifts buried within Black roots music. It embodies the spirit and memory of a people who weave together traditions of the African diaspora with expressions in the United States, the Americas, and beyond.

In this joyful and immersive gathering, Mwenso will create a sense of community and connection as he guides us through this communal listening experience of music recorded by some of the greatest artists of all time. Mwenso invites us to come together and re-center through the collective healing, love and nourishing uplift that is embedded in Black roots music.

Thursday, March 30th 

: Leading Through Innovation and Creativity for Transformative Inclusion 

Event 1: Words are also migrants: poetry as a translation of silence

• A creative writing workshop led by 
• 3 - 4 p.m. | Shideler Hall, 032
• In this workshop, participants will discuss writing as a form of translating the silences of the human experience into words. The poet is a migrant of the human experience, a translator of silences. Keeping the dignity of the stories we share and hear is part of the poetic work. Migration, translation, and creativity are the central themes of this workshop.  . 

Event 2: I am from here: a dialogue on migration, humanity, and poetics 

• Lecture and Poetry Reading by 
• 5 - 6 p.m. | Lecture and Poetry Reading (McGuffey Hall 322)
• 6 p.m. | Book signing (McGuffey Hall 322)
• During this presentation, Manuel Iris will talk about his writing process and the development of his identity as a migrant poet in the US. He will read poems, in English and Spanish, to illustrate the link between life and poetics. After the presentation, he will engage in a conversation with the audience. 

Friday, March 31st 

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Welcome (Optional Breakfast) 
• 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. - Concurrent Sessions I
• 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. - Concurrent Sessions II
• 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Lunch and Resource Fair- Lunch will be provided for registered attendees
• 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions III
• 1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. - Concurrent Sessions IV
• 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Keynote Address (Farmer School of Business, Taylor Auditorium)
• 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Closing Reception  (sponsored by Alumni Relations) 

The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion would also like to give a special thank you to our sponsor, The Marcum Hotel and Conference Center for their generous support of this event by providing us the spaces necessary to make this conference a seamless and exceptional experience for the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú community. 

• Presentation | 40-45 min talk with a 5-10 min Q&A (50 mins)
• Round table | 45-50 mins group discussion about a DEI topic (50 mins)
• Interactive Workshop | 35-40 min presentation with a 10-15 Q&A to discuss strategies, approaches, programs, etc. that support DEI efforts
• Panel | 3 to 5 individuals speaking on a DEI topic (50 mins)
• Poster Presentation | a large poster with research and/or creative project
• Extended Session | 2 hr session that focuses on capacity-building and dialogue

Concurrent Session I

Concurrent Session II

Concurrent Session III

Concurrent Session IV

Weaponized Femininity and the Marginalization of Women in Opera

Poster Presentation 

This project will discuss how canonic operatic composers from Mozart to Menotti utilize weaponized femininity and the marginalization of principally supporting female roles. The compositional styles and techniques of these composers and the poetic text of the librettos will be analyzed to interpret the marginalized status of these women characters and the struggles they encounter. Additionally, modern day societal norms will be used to compare the struggles of these characters to the struggles and political challenges women face today. To illustrate, arias including Ah fuggi, il traditor (from Mozart's Don Giovanni) and To This we've come (from Menotti's The Consul), will be studied, alongside further selections by Gounod's Faust, Smetana's The Bartered Bride. Additionally, full scores of each opera will be used to accompany a viewing of recorded A and B house performances to better understand the compositional techniques and intentions used by the composers. It will be argued that these female characters are, in fact, strong protagonists and not the meek women depicted by the composers and librettists. Donna Elvira, for example, is trapped in an abusive cycle with Don Giovanni. In her aria Ah fuggi, il traditor, she comes to terms with the abusive relationship and works to keep Zerlina safe from Don Giovanni. In Gounod’s Faust, Marguerite sings the haunting aria ‘Il ne revient pas’ (translating to he is not coming back) after Faust’s abandonment of her following the birth of their child. This research can be reflected in modern-day movements such as #MeToo and the powerful reactions to the repeal of Roe v. Wade. As the opera world continues to adjust to modern societal ideologies, this type of research can begin a healthy dialogue addressing the topic of marginalized female characters and marginalized characters as a whole.

A Catalyst for Discovery: Diversity-Focused Resources Available at the Libraries

Poster Presentation 

The mission of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Libraries states, “We proactively connect our community with the resources and personalized guidance to empower discovery, creation, and success.” While most individuals across campus know they can turn to the Libraries for book checkouts, research needs, or a quiet place to study, the resources that the Libraries offer for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) may be less known. This poster will illuminate some of the key resources available to students, faculty, and staff to help support a more inclusive campus community. This poster will highlight five resources and one best practice.

Building a Good Party: Library Game Nights as a Place to Destress with Campus Partners

Poster Presentation

We began the series in 2017 as a way to bring students a fun and stress-relieving event, as well as a way to help them see the library as a space for them, not only to study, but also gather. Since then, our Library Game Night programming has grown to include collaborations with other campus centers and student organizations, which MU Libraries has capitalized on to expand our engagement. Student partners and attendees have brought inclusive ideas to the series, including a fundraiser for a children's hospital, a game night focused on traditional Mexican games, and the purchase of gaming accessories that accommodate users of all abilities, like card holders. Faculty and staff partnerships have allowed us to hold a Made at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú orientation event for incoming students from underrepresented populations, and we are looking forward to hosting a game night in the future with the Myaamia Center. Student feedback from our events has emphasized how much they appreciate having a way to decompress from the pressure of school. 

Join us to find out how we have successfully leveraged the student organizations and grant funding on our campus to enrich our programming to create an enjoyable and inclusive events series.

Poster Presentation

A poster summarizing the research completed by Ellison Brenna and Alexa Draper on the perceptions of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Faculty and Students about classes at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú. The poster summarizes the feelings of students and faculty at ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú and focuses primarily on LGBTQ+ students and the LGBTQ+ experience in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University classes. The poster summarizes two surveys. The first survey, asks students about their experiences in ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University classes and the second survey asks Faculty about the culture of their classes. Finally, the poster includes recommendations for further research and a list of good practices for faculty to include in their classes.

Conference Co-Chairs

Evan Gates

Economics, Diplomacy and Global Politics, and Poverty Studies, Class of 2024

gatesed@miamioh.edu

Patti Liberatore

Director, Performing Arts Series

Assistant Dean External Relations, College of Creative Arts

patti.liberatore@miamioh.edu

Hongmei Li, Ph.D.

Associate Professor & Coordinator of Strategic Communication, College of Arts and Science

lih19@miamioh.edu

Conference Coordinator

Hiram Ramirez, Ph.D.

Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion

ramireh2@miamioh.edu