New Fields Center director seeks to foster diversity

As the new director of the Carl A. Fields Center for Cultural Understanding, Makeba Clay said she is eager to work "with the campus at large on issues of equality and justice."

Assuming the position left open by Heddye Ducree roughly six weeks ago, Clay is now at the helm of one of the sole institutions on campus dedicated to actively promoting and supporting various issues of multiculturalism and diversity.

"This is a place of inclusion, support, intellectual stimulation, and obviously, cultural understanding," Clay said of the Fields Center.

Her office there — accented by shelves and shelves of books — is reflective of this diversity of interests and experiences. In the comfortable, open space, pictures of jazz figures, abstract art and green leafy plants highlight the pastel-shaded walls while African-printed cloth drapes over a chair and animal figurines and dolls dot the room.

Seeming at home in her new surroundings, Clay discussed her thoughts on everything from her past experiences to her prospects for the Fields Center.

Hailing most recently from the University of Maryland Leadership Institute, where she worked "preparing talented undergraduates for public policy and international relations," Clay is relatively new to broad social work at a smaller institution.

Her professional background includes a position in the student life office at Johns Hopkins University, social work in Baltimore programs helping the disadvantaged and experience working for scholarship funds.

As part of the social programs, Clay served low-income women entreprenueurs and disadvantaged adults, and she said this helped stimulate her interest for "seeing people pick up the pieces and empower themselves to take charge of their lives."

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And though the University is a somewhat different setting, this interest has been translated to Clay's desire for the Fields Center to serve as mediator in diversity and social discussions among the campus community.

"I'm at a point of exploring the past or legacy the center has to date and expanding and building on the legacy," Clay said.

Her primary objectives for the year include "elevating the presence or visiblity of the office and the programs and services we offer, collaboration with academic departments and student groups in terms of programming and leadership development [coupled with] mentoring." Notified of the job opening at the center through a colleague, Clay said she was attracted to the "interesting venue [where she could] take a leadership position."

"It's a broad position, and I like that because it allows me to engage a number of constituents: professors, students, and alumni," Clay said.

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Moving to a considerably more insular campus allows Clay to work with student leaders who want to effect social change in addition to her duties running the center.

Helping students find their voice, Clay said, is one of the many purposes the center has always strived to achieve. Additionally, she said she will develop programs, work with campus leaders, host roundtable discussions and initiate community outreach. Stressing the importance of the center as an open place for discourse and learning, Clay said she wants to continue the perceived tradition of the center as a "place of engagement" for the University community.

Clay also said she is "meeting with people to determine" the initiatives needed and then proceeding to create an advisory council to meet those goals.

One such possible change would be greatly expanding the center's demographic audience this year, as the center should be an arena for "people to explore who they are and understand others," Clay said.