Ohio University President Roderick McDavis spoke Monday to a group of about 40 inmates at Hocking Correctional Facility in Nelsonville. During his speech, the last in a series of lectures in honor of Black History Month, McDavis took a break from his daily routine and instead told the prisoners his life story, detailing his experiences growing up in Dayton, forgoing a track and field scholarship at Ohio State University to come to OU and fulfilling his dream of becoming a university president, according to The Athens Messenger.
McDavis should be applauded for taking the time to speak to the inmates, especially because the university did not promote the appearance to the press to make it into a public relations spectacle. Instead, McDavis was ostensibly there because he wanted to make a difference in these men's lives. McDavis stepped into a different world than the comparatively comfortable administrative haven he normally inhabits and told the convicts that he respects them. And respect is a precious commodity for the broken, beaten-down souls in prison, one many of them have learned to live without.
Amid all the recent talk about Vision Ohio and changes to university policy, what often gets lost is that McDavis has advocated greater involvement in the local area (by the university) since before he even was awarded his job. It is heartening to see him taking steps to live out that initiative, especially by going a few minutes up the road, beyond the shadow of OU, to spend time with a group of people some folks would write off as blights on society. It would be too easy to encourage such activities without personally following through on them. By visiting the prison, McDavis has set a good example of personal outreach to the area - one that any person affiliated with the university should try to follow.
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Prison visit shows interest in region
