Coming from the sunshine state of Florida, Cecil Howard hoped to be the social equity director at Shippensburg University — not for the enjoyment of Pennsylvania winter, but for the numerous possibilities that SU could present.

“When I saw what was before me, I said, ‘Wow,’” Howard said. “There’s a whole lot I can bring, a whole lot of new ideas I can bring from my background and my travels, and I just figured this would be a great place to do it.”

The job of the university social equity director is to handle issues of discrimination, whether that is related to gender, sexuality, race, age or ethnicity. In his new role, Howard will also be responsible for handling Title IX cases and ensuring overall diversity and equality across the campus. Howard must make sure that everything pertaining to equity meets the standards of state and federal laws.

Before coming to SU, Howard worked for the city of Gainesville, Florida, as the chief diversity officer for about five-and-a-half years. While living in Gainesville, he also sat on the president’s diversity council at the University of Florida, the rival school of Howard’s alma mater, Florida State University.

During his time in Gainesville, Howard helped launch diversity initiatives, trained faculty in cultural competency and assisted those who suffered from discrimination.

Before Howard was offered the position of social equity director at SU, he had to undergo a lengthy interview process.

His day started at 8 a.m. and did not end until 5 p.m. Even his lunch break included a meeting with the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, Barbara Lyman.

“I tell you, the one thing about this university is if you’re going to come to work here, they got to make sure you are vetted quite well,” Howard said.

In addition to Howard’s experience working with diversity, he believes his law degree from Texas Southern University may have helped him land the job at SU.

He was especially drawn to SU because of the number of long-term staff and faculty. That says something about the university, he said.

During his first three weeks at SU, Howard has been running around getting to know everyone at the university, though he already has thought of ideas he would like to implement.

“It’s my hope that ultimately, this whole notion of diversity can be interwoven into every fabric of the university’s existence,” Howard said.

Through the efforts of the office of social equity, Howard hopes to increase levels of diversity among students, staff and faculty.

To attract these people to SU, Howard suggests examining university marketing and scholarships to make sure that everyone is being reached. He wants to ensure that there are also programs in place that promote diversity.

Recruiting in areas where minorities live is great, Howard said, but he wants to do more. Bringing students to SU is one thing, but maintaining retention is another matter.

“If I’m a black guy and I’m at a predominantly white institution, and I never see professors that look like me, then I might say, well jeez, I don’t really have anybody,” Howard explained in a hypothetical situation.

For some students, it is important to have people around who can see life from the perspective of someone in the minority.

Howard also sees the value in supporting awareness campaigns like No More, which stands against domestic violence and sexual assault.

“My goal would be for Shippensburg to be known as the university that took No More way beyond its limits,” Howard said.

The job of the social equity director reaches across all platforms of the campus, and Howard is ready to start bringing those pieces together.

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