In the Spotlight
Cynthia Rice Receives Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Achievement Award
The university recognized Cynthia Rice, director of Student Services, as this year's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Achievement Award recipient March 30, 2000. Dr. Joann Boughman, vice president for Academic Affairs and dean, Graduate School, presented the award to Rice at the National Women's History Month Celebration. (See photo and Dr. Boughman's remarks below.) The second annual event included poetry and songs by Bonnie Harris and the Vince Smith Trio. The offices of External Affairs, Human Resource Services, and Student Affairs and the Staff Senate sponsored the event.
Dr. Boughman's Remarks for National Women's History Month Celebration
I would like to welcome you to the University of Maryland's celebration of National Women's History Month. This is our second annual event recognizing the positive and enduring contributions of women. Whether working in or outside the home, the struggles and achievements of women have helped to establish the character of our nation and our community. This year's theme is "Visions of Unity -- Women Working Together for a Better Tomorrow." Through our vision of unity, women of different cultures and backgrounds will continue to work together for a common goal and to serve the greater good of our community.
Women's History Month invites us to discover and reflect not only on the rich history of our nation, but also on the contributions of women to our campus. Women have played, and will continue to play, a major and integral role in our campus' mission of education, service, and scholarship. Women's expertise and professionalism are apparent at all levels on our campus, and we are stronger and more effective because of all these strengths.
We have a wonderful program today. Jazz vocalist Bonnie Harris will be singing music accompanied by the Vince Smith Trio, who has selected music that is a tribute to women. Before we enjoy that portion of the celebration, I have the special opportunity to present an award and tie together our celebration of diversity of all forms on our campus. Because our Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration was snowed out, we have delayed presentation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Achievement Award. It fits&because gender also adds to the diversity of our community. I have this image in my head&of a wall hanging woven of fibers of varying sizes and textures and colors that create a complete picture. So too, the campus is composed of the many individuals, who are working together create the university. It is important that we can see past the individual fibers to view the picture, just as we must go beyond awareness of our differences to reach real understanding and community.
This year, the Martin Luther King Jr. award is being presented to a woman who has spent 25 years enhancing diversity and making people from all cultures and nationalities feel welcome on our campus. She not only is aware of and sensitive to cultural, religious, racial, and gender differences, she is constantly striving to learn and understand more. She bestows respect upon all and establishes true communication and dialogue with others because she understands and accepts that individuals and communities within our campus have many different perspectives and values. She embraces them all.
For 25 years, our award recipient has worked to interweave our diverse student body into an exciting and beautiful fabric for our entire university. She has developed innovative student services that are available to all, and she has facilitated the growth of many student organizations. To give a few examples, she has fostered Chinese New Year celebrations, European balls, and a Muslim prayer group on campus. Under her aegis, the United Students of African Descent organization is bringing black culture to campus and reaching out with health fairs and theatrical performances that benefit the entire community. In addition, her diverse accomplishments also include facilitating services and support for students with disabilities. She has provided assistance in assessing students' needs, in facilitating remedies, and in complying with ADA legislation.
This year, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Diversity Achievement Award goes to a woman who works tirelessly to help the campus build an environment that makes each student feel valued, and has helped all of us to understand that diversity really can lead to unity: Ms. Cynthia Rice.
