Higher Ed Insiders chat

EOU vice president talks diversity engagement with Higher Ed Insiders

News contact: Laura Hancock, University Advancement, 541-962-358

LA GRANDE, Ore. June 17, 2016 – Eastern Oregon University’s vice president for student services is among experts slated to participate in an upcoming Higher Ed Insiders online chat event June 22.

Xavier Romano is hosting a discussion on diversity engagement. He joins 15 speakers from around the country representing education and industry addressing this and other trending topics like technology innovation, admissions, alumni engagement, improving student outcomes through public-private partnerships, and student and alumni career success.

Romano believes it is essential to rethink what diversity means in higher education today.

“Historical definitions born of the ’60’s Civil Rights Movement must be engaged in a new paradigm of thinking reflective of a new world order,” Romano explained. “We need to be considering demographic shifts in our society, as well as global forces at play such as religious diversity.”

“We must be ready to engage, for example, the reality of the Latino demographic shift in American along with the challenges posed by Isis and it’s manifestation on our ‘reality,’” he added. “It’s time for us to think about ‘diversity’ in terms of a global construct while building on our historical conversation.”

During his chat, Romano will address how institutions like EOU are part of the conversation.

“In doing so, we also ask ourselves how we are preparing our students for this level of conversation, inquiry and reflection,” Romano said.

Romano, who joined EOU in 2014, is involved with three non-profit boards in Oregon, two of which are related directly to Latino community engagement in the state. He chairs the advisory committee for EUVALCREE in Ontario, is a member of the Marathon Scholars Foundation in Portland, and chairs the board development committee for the Oregon Latino Agenda for Action/OLAA, also based in Portland.

To reserve a space for the Higher Ed Insiders chat event visit www.higheredinsiders.com. Discussions begin at 11 a.m. PDT, 2 p.m. EDT. Space is limited. Inside Track and Inside Higher Ed are sponsoring the program.