Kathleen Roberts spoke to an audience at Ohio University’s Multicultural Center on Thursday in the second of three candidate forums for the university’s first vice president for diversity and inclusion.
Roberts, who has served as the senior advisor to the president for inclusive excellence at Northern Kentucky University since 2014, also serves as the university’s Title IX coordinator. Prior to working for NKU, Roberts worked on the west coast as a Title IX consultant for Saint Mary’s College of California for two years.
According to her CV, Roberts specializes in equal employment opportunity and Title IX regulations and policies. She was also the chief diversity officer at Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, California from 2011-13.
Roberts also held various positions under the Maine Department of Attorney General, managing a team of drug prosecutors and supervising attorneys who were responsible for investigating hate crimes in the state.
Roberts holds a doctorate degree in “Leadership and Change” from Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio, as well as a law degree from the University of Maine School of Law.
Her career, however, didn’t begin in law or higher education. Her bachelor's degrees are in dance and political science.
Roberts incorporated dance into her remarks Thursday when she compared balancing diverse perspectives to a tango, stressing the need for give and take among various cultural groups.
“You have to learn when to give space and listen,” Roberts said. “And then your next move is to respond to that deep listening.”
Roberts said that although she has not read the university’s proposed policies regulating expression, she knows that the repercussions of the policies will be difficult for whoever steps into the new vice presidency.
“I think for higher education in general, this is a tough moment for us,” Roberts said. “We know the Supreme Court has said that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment. We also know there are groups that come on campus using words … that feel hateful.”
Roberts said that when her career moved from Oakland to NKU, she felt like she had “arrived at Sleepy Hollow,” adding that she thinks it’s important for students to participate in rallies and “make their voices heard.”
She applauded OU’s 85 percent retention for first and second year underrepresented undergraduate students, and suggested a partnership with the office of institutional research to better track and research retention rates.
“I think each institution is different,” Roberts said. “The context, the culture is different. So I don’t know what would work for OU.”
Roberts also spoke about the importance of engaging local residents in diversity and inclusion efforts.
“If the community isn’t engaged in inclusive practices, then the faculty and the students we recruit aren’t going to stay,” Roberts said.
