Lipscomb hires alumna to oversee enhanced multicultural programming
Janel Shoun |
|
Dean Scott McDowell
invites you to meet:
Tenielle Buchanan
New Director of Multicultural Affairs
at a dessert reception
with international fare.
Jan. 14
11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Dining Hall entry area
Bennett Campus Center
Come taste an array of desserts from around the world and meet Lipscomb’s new director of multicultural affairs.
This reception kicks off a slate of exciting activities surrounding Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Click here to see more on
|
Lipscomb University’s new Director of Multicultural Affairs Tenielle Buchanan is welcoming the student body back to campus with a panel of living legends celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Thursday, Jan. 15, during the first week of classes.
Buchanan, a 2005 Lipscomb graduate, has hit the ground running at her alma mater with a variety of ideas to enhance events such as the International Square Fair and Multicultural Fashion Show that she was previously involved in as a student.
Vice President of Student Development Scott McDowell will host a reception for the student body to meet Buchanan 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the main entry to the dining hall in the Bennett Campus Center.
Buchanan replaces Lipscomb’s former multicultural director Keith Hall, who left to earn his doctorate degree.
“I’m thrilled that Tenielle Buchanan has agreed to return to Lipscomb as the new Director of Multicultural Affairs. From her days as a student here through her early career, she has shown the creativity and community-building skills necessary to expand this important element of Campus Life,” said McDowell.
“I’ve walked in the shoes of a minority student at Lipscomb University myself and I’m excited to use that experience to plan events and develop programs that will speak directly to students’ desires, needs and concerns for the future,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan was one of the first recruits on the Lipscomb University women’s track team when she attended Lipscomb as a kinesiology major. As a student, she helped establish or develop many of the multicultural events Lipscomb still holds today, including the annual talent show, Black History Month trivia competition and fashion show.
Based on her experiences as a Lipscomb student and her career experience at the University of Memphis and the Center for Nashville Studies, Buchanan plans to work with the LU Multicultural Association (LUMA), international students and campus life officials to serve the entire student body and forge relationships between students and the community.
“While it’s important to create an atmosphere where minorities feel nurtured, it’s equally important to create a unified atmosphere among all students where all cultures are considered valuable and exciting to learn about,” she said.
Her comments are echoed by Mark Hayes, an African-American junior from Nashville who is active in the LUMA. He says that all too often students view the student group as a minority-student-only organization, which is a false impression. “When we say multicultural, we mean everyone,” he said.
Having a new director of multicultural affairs in 2009 “is definitely going to shake things up a little bit in a positive way,” said Hayes. “She can spend time getting out and walking around (meeting students). She is another person who can give a voice to our organization as far as interaction with other students and faculty.”
Buchanan also would like to build on Lipscomb’s strong tradition of volunteerism and its current service-learning program, SALT, to provide additional opportunities for off-campus service sponsored by LUMA and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Buchanan’s first community event is Jan. 15, also from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.-- a birthday celebration for Martin Luther King Jr. “We chose to celebrate Dr. King’s actual birthday onJan.15 because students aren’t on campus on the holiday,” explained Buchanan.
Chapel credit is available for the event in Shamblin Theatre, where a panel of prominent Nashvillians will share their life experiences and reflect on King’s legacy in the Obama era. After the discussion birthday cake will be served.
Panelists include:
- Former Nashville Vice Mayor Howard Gentry, the first African-American elected to the post;
- Bethlehem Centers CEO Joyce Espy Searcy;
- John Seigenthaler, a member of the U.S. Justice Department during the turbulent 1960s; and
- Nashville District 29 Councilmember Vivian Wilhoite.
Click here for more details on all the first week’s activities.
After graduating from Lipscomb, Buchanan attended the University of Memphis to earn a master’s degree in journalism and public relations. There she worked with Professor Bob Levey, a former columnist for The Washington Post, to collect biographies and perspectives of minority students at UM. She gained experience in issues education by developing marketing and education plans for Memphis-based Healthy Kids and Healthy Teens.
After returning to Nashville, Buchanan was at the Center for Nashville Studies housed at Vanderbilt University, where she contributed to the Nashville Mixed-Income Housing Project and the Nashville Civil Rights Movement History Project. She also coordinated events and maintained the center website.