January 16, 2020

VINCENNES, Ind. - Vincennes University is celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a banquet on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. EST at Green Activities Center. The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is hosted by VU’s Department of Multicultural Affairs.

The keynote address will be presented by Indiana State University professors, Dr. Kandace Hinton and Dr. Mary Howard-Hamilton.

“Last year's MLK theme was "Breaking the Silence", and Frank Leon Roberts did a phenomenal job of bringing awareness about social issues that we have a tendency to be silent about,” VU Director of Multicultural Affairs Cortney Cross said.

“Now we are moving toward action this year. Dr. Kandace Hinton and Dr. Mary Howard-Hamilton, distinguished scholars in the field of higher education and professors at Indiana State University in the Bayh College of Education, will be providing us with practical ways we can address some of the social issues our country and world is facing in this day and age.”

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Dr. Kandace Hinton is a Professor of the Higher Education Leadership Program, in the Educational Leadership Department at Indiana State University.  She has also served as Special Assistant to the Provost for the Diversifying the Faculty Initiative and currently is the chair of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Global Engagement Task Force for the Bayh College of Education at ISU. Hinton holds a master’s and Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University, Bloomington and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jackson State University.

Her research interests are African American women leaders in higher education, multicultural identity development, and institutional support of community-based programs. Hinton’s teaching areas include the history of higher education, Philosophy of Education, academic leadership, and research methods. She has published in Pathways to Higher Education Administration for African American Women and Multiculturalism in Higher Education along with several other book chapters and journal articles. Additionally, Hinton has co-edited two editions of the book entitled, Unleashing Suppressed Voices on College Campuses (2nd edition to be released July, 2020). She has presented her work at 35 national higher education professional conferences. She is a consultant for colleges and universities as well as community groups interested in leadership development of their staff and around issues of diversity and inclusive excellence. She currently serves as chair of the Council on Ethnic Participation for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. She holds membership in several professional organizations and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Dr. Mary Howard-Hamilton is the Bayh College of Education Dr. Lotus Delta Coffman Distinguished Research Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at Indiana State University. She received the Presidential Medal from the Association for the Study of Higher Education in November 2018 and was a recipient of the Contribution to Knowledge Award from the American College Personnel Association in 2017. Indiana State University awarded her with the Presidential Medal for Exemplary Teaching and Scholarship and the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research and Creativity Award in 2015. She also received the Bayh College of Education, Holmstedt Distinguished Professorship Award for 2012-2013. Howard-Hamilton received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from The University of Iowa and a Doctorate of Education, Ed.D., from North Carolina State University. Howard-Hamilton has served as a higher education student affairs administrator for 15 years and a full-time faculty member for 24 years. She has spent her entire professional career in higher education for a total of 37 years working at eight institutions.

As a researcher, Howard-Hamilton has published over 90 articles and book chapters. She has been a presenter at the Oxford Roundtable in Oxford, England. She has also served as a consultant and instructor for the Student Housing Training Institute in Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Currently, Howard-Hamilton is a member of the Editorial Boards for the Journal of College Student Development, The Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, as well as The Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education.

Howard-Hamilton is a member of three boards, The United Campus Ministry in Terre Haute, The Dr. Melvin C. Terrell Educational Foundation, Inc., and the Equity Conscious Community College Pathways Advisory Board. She has served on the Executive Board for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) as the Member-at-Large from 2014-2016. She also served on the Board for the Association of College and University Housing Officer International (ACUHOI) as the Knowledge Enhancement Director from 2011-2014. Her other honors include being selected by the American College Student Personnel Association to serve as a Senior Scholar from 2013-2018, the Diverse Issues in Higher Education Top 25 Women in Higher Education and Beyond in 2018, the Champion of Diversity Award from the Indiana Minority Business Magazine in January 2013, the Terre Haute Human Rights Commission Diversity Award in October 2013, the Garcia Exemplary Scholarship Award from the Council on Ethic Participation – Association for the Study of Higher Education in 2011, “Robert S. Shaffer Award” for Academic Excellence as a Graduate Faculty Member and the University of Iowa Albert Hood Distinguished Alumni Award. She also received the Monroe County (Indiana) Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentor of the Year Award for 2006.

She is a Diamond Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Immediate Past President of the Bloomington Alumnae Chapter and has served as the Secondary Advisor for Zeta Nu Chapter at Indiana State University. She serves on the Delta Sigma Theta National Institutional Research Committee as well as the Sister Scholars Research Task Force. Serving the Terre Haute community, she is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was a clarinetist for the inaugural New Horizons Community Band at Indiana State University, and former member of 100+ Women Who Care Vigo County.

Contact:

Cortney Cross
Director of Multicultural Affairs
Vincennes University
Office: 812-888-5886
Email: ccross@vinu.edu

VINCENNES UNIVERSITY - Indiana’s First College

VU is state-supported with campuses in Vincennes and Jasper, the Aviation Technology Center and American Sign Language program in Indianapolis, Early College Career and Technical Education Centers, and additional sites such as the Gene Haas Training and Education Center in Lebanon, the Logistics Training and Education Center in Plainfield, and the Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics in Fort Branch. A leader in developing Early Colleges statewide, VU also offers instruction at military sites throughout the nation.

In addition to offering a wide range of associate degree and certificate programs, VU also offers bachelor’s degree programs in technology, homeland security, nursing, secondary education programs in mathematics and science, and special education/elementary education.

VU enrolls students from throughout Indiana, 36 other states, and 21 other countries. Tuition and fees are the lowest among Indiana campuses with residence halls. VU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Founded in 1801, VU is Indiana’s first college and is the only college in the nation founded by an individual who would later become President of the United States. William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. President, founded VU while serving as governor of the Indiana Territory. More information is available at www.vinu.edu.

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Vincennes University Newsroom

MARCIA MARTINEZ, University Life Reporter & Sports Information Director
   812-888-4164 office, 314-599-1519 cell, VUNews@vinu.edu, mmartinez@vinu.edu
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY, Department of University Relations, www.vinu.edu/newsroom