MRC Chooses New Director

Wellesley College's Rachel Beverly has been chosen to be the new assistant dean of students and director of the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC). Beverly will start the position this summer.

"She will be the first permanent director of the MRC in at least a couple of years," said Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith.

How Can I Help You?: New MRC Director Rachel Beverly has been praised for her warmth. (photo courtesy Wellesley College)

Beverly has worked primarily with students of African descent at Wellesley. She is currently the advisor to students of African descent, and the director of Harambee house, a cultural center for African-American students.

At Wellesley, Beverly also founded the Cultural Advising Network (CAN), a system in which professors are responsible for supporting groups identified as historically marginalized on campus. Advisors for the Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities have been under her direct supervision.

"Ms. Beverly emerged as a top candidate in an outstanding pool of applicants for her breadth of knowledge, the clarity and warmth of her communication skills and her dedication to multicultural understanding and the personal and academic success of all students," said Goldsmith.

The MRC is an organization committed to fostering communication across traditional social barriers of race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality and religion.

"The mission also includes helping student groups with programs and providing a resource to the whole campus community as part of the process of better understanding and celebrating our social differences," said Goldsmith.

"[Beverly] will help refocus the MRC in its mission to consider ways of best supporting students of color and LGBT students, as well as other students who by virtue of their background sometimes find this a daunting environment in which to become comfortable," added Goldsmith.

Beverly will also be part of a team of deans within the Office of the Dean of Students who will be giving more personal support to students regarding the personal and academic aspects of the transition from high school to Oberlin.

Beverly graduated from Wittenberg University in 1992 with a degree in Biology. She recently was awarded an M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from Boston College. She came back to Wittenberg in 1995 as the assistant dean of admission, and went on to become their director of multicultural affairs.

The decision to hire Beverly was made by a search committee consisting of various representatives of multiculturalism at Oberlin. The committee was chaired by Religion Professor A.G. Miller and included Director of the Bonner Scholar Program in the Center for Service and Learning Adrian Bautista, Director of Athletics Mike Muska, MRC Program Coordinator Michelle Shim, junior senator Erika Hansen and first-year NiJa Whitson.