1. Rites of Passage slated
for May 9
May 2, 2013 - Morehead State
University’s Office of Student
Activities, Inclusion and Leadership
Development will sponsor its 27th Semi-
Annual Rites of Passage Recognition
Ceremony on Thursday, May 9, from 7-
9 p.m.
This cherished ceremony will take place
within the Crager Room of the Adron
Doran University Center. The Black
Gospel Ensemble, directed by Dr.
Roosevelt Escalante, will perform at the
event.
The purpose of this honored ceremony is
to recognize and celebrate the
distinguished scholastic achievements of
minority and international students at
MSU. Each student will receive a
certificate and a special stole for their
incredible devotion to their academic
success.
It is through the inspiration of these
outstanding young men and women to
all who follow in their footsteps on the
long and humble road of learning that
more racially diverse students will also
take their place as the leaders of
tomorrow.
Keynote speaker for the spring
celebration will be MSU’s very own Dr.
Clarenda Phillips, interim associate vice
president for academic affairs.
Dr. Phillips earned her own Ph.D. and
M.A. degrees in sociology from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, and a B.A. degree in
sociology from DePauw University.
Following this, she worked as a senior
research associate with Policy Studies
Associates Inc. in Washington, D.C.,
before starting her current career at MSU
in 2000.
Dr. Phillips also spent the 2010-11
academic year as an American Council
on Education (ACE) Fellow at the
University of North Carolina at
Greensboro.
In addition to her faculty responsibilities,
Dr. Phillips has served as assistant
provost, leading major campus
initiatives and projects including those
related to diversity. She was awarded a
National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) postdoctoral fellowship for the
2003-04 academic year to conduct
research with the University of
Kentucky College of Medicine’s
Department of Behavioral Science.
She was also a member of the very first
class admitted to the MSU President’s
Leadership Academy and is a former
director of the MSU Interdisciplinary
Women’s Studies Program.
In all, Dr. Phillips is a member of several
university, college and department
committees and assumes major
leadership roles on many of them. In
addition to the NIMH Fellowship, she
has been honored by other professional
associations as well including the Theta
Phi Honor Society and the American
Sociological Association. Her
professional activities have taken her to
the continents of both Asia and Africa.
Additional information on the event can
be made available by calling Shanté
Hearst, the coordinator of
